AS  CALIFORNIA 
WILD   FLOWERS   GROW 

SUGGESTIONS  TO  NATUEE  LOVEES 


BY 

KATHERINE  CHANDLER 

Author    of 


"Habits  of  California  Plants" 

" In  the  Reign  Coyote:  Folklore  from  the  Pacific  Coast " 
"The  Bird-Woman  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition" 


1922 

HARE  WAGNER  PUBLISHING  CO. 

San  Francisco 

California 


Copyright   1922 
By  Katherine  Chandler 


To  the  Memory  of  my  Mother,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Chandler, 

whose  explorations  into  the  haunts  of  the  wild  flowers,  both  in  the 
San  Francisco  Bay  region  and  in  the  mountains  of  Deer  Park,  Lake 
Tahoe,  have  introduced  many  persons  to  the  wonders  and  the  delights 
of  Nature. 


468458 


PREFACE. 


This  book  is  published  with  the  hope  of  interesting  our  citizens  in 
our  native  flora,  both  for  their  own  pleasure  and  for  its  preservation. 
It  is  not  intended  to  be  a  Botany,  although  its  suggestions,  if  carried 
out,  will  surely  lead  to  the  use  of  botanies.  Emphasis  is  laid  on  the 
habits  of  the  blossoms  because  they  are  the  most  attractive  part  of 
the  plant  to  us  and  the  most  important  to  it;  but  the  habits  of  roots 
and  stems  and  leaves  are  also  worthy  of  notice. 

When  we  consider  a  plant  as  a  living  individual,  carrying  on  a 
definite  life  work,  we  will  cease  to  destroy  it  heedlessly.  Then,  our 
beautiful  species  will  not  be  marked  "extinct."  Then,  our  forests 
will  be  secured  against  fire,  and  then  they  will  be  lumbered  scientifi- 
cally so  that  future  generations  may  still  have  their  benefits  in  cli- 
mate and  in  the  resulting  irrigation  so  necessary  to  the  .agriculture 
of  California. 

The  cover  of  the  book  was  designed  and  drawn  by  Mrs.  Marie- 
Therese  Bryner  of  San  Francisco.  Many  of  the  photographs  were 
taken  by  Mr.  Antone  J.  Scares  of  Hayward,  California.  As  it  is 
desirable  to  give  each  species  its  full  detail,  no  attempt  has  been 
made  to  have  a  scale  of  size. 

I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Alice  Eastwood,  the  Botanist  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Academy  of  Sciences,  for  correct  data  as  well  as  for  the 
initial  training  in  observing  the  habits  of  plants;  to  the  "Sunset 
Magazine"  and  the  "San  Francisco  Chronicle "  for  permission 
to  reprint  fragments  from  their  columns;  to  Dr.  W.  J.  Beal  for  the 
weight  of  the  seeds  of  the  Willow-Herb;  and  to  my  sister,  Mabel  G. 
Chandler,  for  aid  in  correction. 

KATHEEINE  CHANDLER. 
San  Francisco,  California. 
January  27,  1922. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE  I. 
Some  Simple  Flowers. 

California     Poppy,     Matilija     Poppy,     Eadish,     Willow-Herb, 

Mariposa         ,     .     .     .         11 

CHAPTER  II. 

Some  Tubular  Flowers  . 

Gilia,   Silene,   Wild   Currant 30 

CHAPTEE  III. 

Some  Fantastic  Flowers. 
Bleeding  Heart,  Hound 's  Tongue,  Milkweed,  Castilleja     ...         42 

CHAPTEE  IV. 
Some  Grouped  Flowers. 

Lilac,  Plantain,  Barberry,  Christmas  Berry,  Daisy 55 

CHAPTEE  V. 

Some  Flowers  that  like  High  Altitudes. 

Snow  Plant,  Anemone,  Primrose,  White  Heather,  Magenta 
Heather,  Ledum,  Gentian,  Penstemon,  Mimulus,  Alpine 
Lily,  Wild  Onion,  Veratrum 72 

CHAPTEE  VI. 

Some  Specializing  Flowers. 

Garrya,  Trees        106 

CHAPTEE  VII. 
Some  Plants  with  Healing  Qualities. 

Coffee  Berry,  Yerba  Santa,  Grindelia,  Manzanita,  Yerba  Buena, 
Penny  Eoyal,  Elder  Berry,  Sunflower,  Wild  Peony,  Ever- 
lasting, Mountain  Birch,  Eomero,  Dogbane,  Skunk  Cab- 
bage, Shin  Leaf,  Button  Bush,  Blue-eyed  Grass,  Bedstraw, 
Clematis,  Daturas,  Zygadene,  Larkspur,  Holly-Leaved 
Cherry,  Azalea,  White  Night  Shade,  Phacelia,  Monkshood, 
Euphorbia 118 


A*    ."•: 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Barberry       ; Frontispiece 

Matilija         17 

Radish 20 

Willow-Herb .  23 

Mariposa 27 

Gilia 32 

Silene . 33 

Wild   Currant       , 36 

Bleeding    Heart 43 

Hound's    Tongue ,,.......  46 

Milkweed 49 

Castilleja 52 

Ceanothus         56 

Pl-antain        ' 60 

Christmas  Berry 63 

Christmas  Berry 65 

Seaside  Daisy 69 

Snow  Plant 75 

Anemone 78 

Sierra  Primrose    .     .  - 80 

White  Heather 83 

Magenta  Heather      . 84 

Labrador  Tea        86 

Gentian     . / 87 

Penstemon         , 90 

Alpine  Lily 95 

Wild  Onion 99 

Veratrum 102 

Garrya 107 

Yerba  Santa 120 

Grindelia 121 

Manzanita 123 

Penny  Royal    .     .     ,     . ".     .     .     .  127 

Clematis  130 


BARBERRY 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 


>  ' ' '  t  J  J  »  ^  , 


AS    CALIFORNIA 
WILD  FLOWERS  GROW: 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS. 

As  far  as  plants  themselves  are  concerned,  they 
have  but  two  objects  in  life:  first,  to  produce  the 
best  possible  seed  and  second,  to  get  this  seed  dis- 
persed to  a  new  environment  in  which  it  can  make 
a  fair  start.  In  exerting  themselves  to  achieve  these 
objects,  the  plants  have  become  a  source  of  esthetic 
enjoyment  and  economic  profit  to  mankind.  In  the 
course  of  centuries,  the  plants  have  learned  that 
cross-fertilization  produces  a  superior  seed,  and  so 
they  have  evolved  blossoms  of  marvelous  tints  and 
shades  to  attract  the  eye  of  passing  bird  or  insect. 
And,  lest  color  be  not  attraction  enough,  they  have 
added  bowls  of  nectar  whose  fragrance  on  the  sun- 
kissed  air  will  tempt  the  palate  of  any  insect  who 
happens  to  be  color  blind. 

Men  today  realize  the  advantage  of  promoting  a 
project  by  an  advertising  banquet.  We  set  out 


;12; ^:^S  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

palatable  viands  in  a  decorative  setting,  and  some- 
times our  project  wins  adherents  and  sometimes  it 
does  not.  The  plant,  which  is  the  oldest  advertiser 
on  the  earth,  makes  no  such  economic  mistake.  It 
probably  learned  in  the  early  ages  that  the  wander- 
ing bee  would  gladly  sip  of  its  sweets  and  then, 
more  often  than  not,  depart  without  even  a  uthank 
you." 

The  plant's  one  object  in  advertising  its  blossoms 
is  to  get  the  pollen  from  one  flower  carried  to  the 
stigma  of -another.  Often  it  ripens  the  anther  of  one 
blossom  before  its  stigma  so  that  its  own  pollen 
cannot  possibly  fertilize  it;  and  it  must  have  outside 
aid.  While  advertising  its  banquet  free  to  the  world, 
the  plant  takes  very  good  care  that  any  diner  at  its 
table  must  involuntarily  help  in  the  purpose  for 
which  he  is  invited. 

One  of  the  most  skillful  advertisers  among  our 
native-  plants  is  our  State  Flower,  the  California 
Poppy.  Up  and  down  the  State,  far  and  wide,  it 
splashes  its  glorious  color,  typical  of  California 
with  its  many  days  of  golden  sunshine  and  its  golden 
lodes  awaiting  but  the  industry  of  man  to  gladden 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  Not  only  does  Poppy  revel 
in  brilliant  dye,  but  she  weaves  her  material  with  a 
satiny  sheen  that  reflects  the  light  from  every  angle. 
No  living  creature  can  pass  a  Poppy  bed  without 
his  eye  being  caught  by  her  beauty.  We  humans 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  13 

stop  and  admire  and  exclaim.  The  insect  makes  a 
closer  investigation.  He  has  an  instinct  that  here  is 
some  material  good  for  him.  And  so  there  is.  For 
him  alone  does  Poppy  don  her  bright  and  lustrous 
gown.  For  him,  she  plans  even  greater  pleasures 
than  those  of  sight.  Look  at  a  Poppy,  and  you  will 
see  how  generous  she  is. 

In  the  center  of  the  four  satiny  petals  are  ar- 
ranged the  stamens,  with  their  anthers  full  to  the 
brim  of  the  pollen  that  to  the  bug  is  a  toothsome 
meal.  As  he  feeds  hungrily,  he  moves  around  and 
jostles  the  stamens,  and  some  pollen  is  dusted  over 
him.  This  he  carries  away  when  he  leaves  the  blos- 
som. His  appetite  is  not  appeased  with  a  visit  to 
one  flower  so  he  dips  into  another.  As  he  dives 
down,  the  pollen  on  his  head  and  body  is  brushed 
against  the  waiting  stigma,  and  it  is  quickly  passed 
down  to  the  ovary  where  it  converts  the  little  ovules 
into  seeds.  This  is  what  Poppy  has  planned  for. 
This  is  why  she  has  developed  her  color  and  her 
sheen  and  her  pollen — to  make  herself  so  attractive 
that  she  will  be  sure  to  have  helpful  visitors. 

She  seems  impatient  at  any  delay  in  getting  her 
charms  in  view.  Notice  how  she  pushes  her  calyx 
right  off  over  her  head  when  she  is  ready  to  spread 
her  splendid  corolla.  Then,  later,  this  wonderful 
corolla  does  the  duty  of  the  calyx.  It  would  never 
do  to  let  cold  or  moisture  touch  the  precious  seed- 


14    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

making  parts,  so,  as  soon  as  the  direct  sunshine 
leaves  her,  the  petals  wrap  themselves  closely  around 
the  center.  As  the  flower  grows  older,  you  will 
notice  the  individual  petals  curling  at  nightfall 
around  the  stamens  attached  to  them.  This  means 
that  the  pistil  has  been  fertilized,  but  there  is  still 
a  bountiful  supply  of  good  pollen  to  be  dispensed. 
It  is  only  after  her  pollen  has  been  all  discharged 
and  her  ovules  fertilized  that  Poppy  exposes  her 
heart  to  the  shade,  and  then  only  for  a  brief  period. 
Soon  she  casts  each  satiny  petal  aside  so  that  the 
sunshine  can  pour  directly  on  the  seed-case  and 
ripen  its  contents. 

If  you  pick  off  a  petal,  you  see  that  some'  stamens 
come  with  it.  The  stigma  does  not  come  off,  not 
even  when  the  seeds  are  fertilized.  Watch  a  seed- 
case  develop.  See  the  veins  running  up  and  down. 
See  the  stigma  forming  the  flat  cap  on  its  top.  How 
does  Mrs.  Poppy  get  her  seeds  dispersed?  Take  a 
ripe  pod  in  your  hand  and  shake  it.  Little  black 
seeds  scatter  around.  How  do  they  get  out?  Look 
under  the  rim  of  the  cap  between  each  vein.  Poppy 
believes  in  a  pepper-shaker  style  of  seed-case,  so  that 
the  gentlest  zephyr  will  distribute  some  seeds;  but 
she  discovered  early  that  if  she  put  the  holes  in  the 
top  of  the  box,  the  rain  and  fog  would  seep  in  and 
destroy  her  precious  children.  But  there!  That 
rim  of  the  stigma  cap  makes  a  protective  roof,  and 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  15 

so  under  it  is  just  the  place  to  insure  rain-proof  seed 
exits.  If  you  do  not  believe  that  Poppy  now  has  a 
most  efficient  seed-case,  just  observe  a  new-turned 
railroad  embankment.  This  year  it  may  have  only 
a  few  scattered  plants,  but  next  season  it  will  be  a 
veritable  carpet  of  gold. 

If  you  care  to  read  about  flowers,  you  will  find 
that  our  Poppy  has  been  more  sung  about  than  any 
other  of  our  California  wild  flowers.  All  visitors 
have  been  impressed  with  its  beauty.  Indeed,  its 
botanical  name,  Eschscholtzia  calif ornica,  tells  of  a 
scientist  who  visited  here  over  a  century  ago.  John 
Friedrich  von  Eschscholtz  was  born  in  Dorpat, 
Russia,  November  12,  1793,  and  died  there  May  19, 
1834.  He  became  a  physician  and  naturalist,  and  as 
such  accompanied  the  Russian  scientific  voyages 
around  the  world  in  1815-1824.  He  was  in  Califor- 
nia at  two  different  intervals.  He  wrote  so  enthusi- 
astically of  this  golden  flower,  new  to  European 
eyes,  that  botanists  named  it  for  him,  and  added  the 
name  of  its  birthplace  for  the  species. 

About  fifty  years  before  the  Russians  entered  San 
Francisco  Bay,  some  Spanish  sailors,  approaching 
the  southern  coast  of  the  State,  saw  the  blaze  of  the 
poppies  on  the  hills  and  exclaimed,  "The  altar 
cloth  of  San  Pasqual!  The  altar  cloth  of  San  Pas- 
qual!"  This  referred  to  the  history  of  Saint  Pascal, 
who  was  a  favorite  of  the  Spanish  peasants.  He 


1.6    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

was  born  in  Aragon,  Spain,  in  1540.  As  a  child, 
poverty  made  it  necessary  that  he  tend  his  flocks  day 
and  night,  without  relief,  so  that  he  never  had  op- 
portunity to  go  inside  a  church  to  worship  God  as 
his  heart  desired.  Living  ever  under  the  open  skies, 
he  seemed  to  absorb  that  simple  faith  that  led  the 
Shepherds  of  the  East  to  the  Manger  at  Bethlehem. 
This  faith  taught  him  that  if  his  duty  prevented  his 
offering  his  devotion  before  an  altar  erected  by  man, 
his  prayers  on  the  pasture  slopes  would  be  as  accept- 
able in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty.  So,  as  he  tended 
his  sheep,  he  would  seek  a  bed  of  beautiful  wild- 
flowers  and  kneel  there  to  offer  his  homage.  His 
pious  devotions  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans; and  he  was  educated  and  later  became  a 
devout  son  of  Saint  Francis  d'Asis.  Book  learning 
did  not  dim  his  simple  faith,  and  he  devoted  his  life 
to  helping  the  Spanish  peasants  whose  duties  called 
them  to  an  outdoor  existence.  As  he  walked  among 
the  shepherds,  he  often  said  Mass  on  the  hill  slopes 
with  a  bed  of  wildflowers  for  an  altar.  So,  the 
Spanish  sailors,  seeing  the  poppy  beds  ablaze  on 
the  California  coast,  naturally  exclaimed,  "There  is 
the  altar  cloth  of  San  Pasqual!"  They  landed 
from  the  little  vessels  on  which  they  had  suffered 
many  hardships,  and  offered  up  Mass  right  amongst 
the  Poppies,  giving  thanks  for  a  safe  delivery  from 
the  perils  of  the  ocean  and  praises  that  they  were 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  17 

led  to  a  land  of  such  beautiful  blossoming.  So  our 
California  Poppy  was  instrumental  in  the  first  set- 
tling of  our  State.  The  name  of  San  Pasqual, 
which  is  the  Spanish  for  Saint  Pascal,  still  lingers 
in  San  Diego  County. 

The  Spanish  Californians  sometimes  called  the 
Poppy  "Copa  de  Oro,"  which  means  "cup  of  gold," 
a  most  appropriate  title.  Sometimes,  they  did  just 
as  we  do,  called  it  the  name  of  its  garden  sisters, 
"Poppy,"  which  in  Spanish  is  "Amapola"  and 
"Dormidera."  This  last 
name  means  "sleepiness," 
and  refers  to  the  nar- 
cotic qualities  for  which 
the  Poppy  family  is  fa- 
mous. 

Our  State  Flower  has 
a  sister,  also  a  native 
daughter,  that  is  thought 
by  many  to  be  the  most 
b  e  a  u  t  i  ful  wildflower 
California  produces. 
This  is  the  M  a  t  i  1  i  j  a 
Poppy,  whose  blossom 

,     -      ,    .  MATILIJA    POPPY 

and  habits  are  quite  un- 
like   those    of    its    golden    relation.      This    plant 
grows  tall,  sometimes  to  fifteen  feet,  and  its  white 
blossoms  spread  out  as  wide  as  nine  inches.     They 


18    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

are  of  the  loveliest  crepe,  plaited  in  softest  folds, 
around  a  central  globe  of  crowded  yellow  stamens. 
While  the  California  has  but  two  sepals  and  four 
petals,  the  Matilija  has  three  sepals  and  six  petals. 
They  are  following  a  rule  of  the  large  family  to 
which  they  belong,  the  Papavaraceae,  that  the  parts 
of  the  calyx  shall  be  half  as  many  as  those  of  the 
corolla. 

While  the  California  Poppy  springs  up  after  the 
first  rains  thrill  the  earth,  Matilija  does  not  bloom 
until  late  spring  or  summer.  Even  then  she  fears 
a  cold  snap,  for  she  covers  her  sepals  with  warm 
hairs  for  protection.  However,  when  she  is  ready 
to  unfurl  her  snowy  petals,  she  pushes  off  this  hairy 
calyx  in  the  same  way  Californica  does  her  smooth 
one.  The  blossoms  remain  open  several  days,  and, 
as  they  wave  aloft,  they  attract  many  visitors.  One 
glance  at  the  heart  of  Matilija  will  show  you  that 
they  are  richly  rewarded  for  any  services  they  ren- 
der. The  seed-case  is  constructed  on  the  pepper- 
shaker  plan,  and  carried  so  high,  it  works  most  suc- 
cessfully. 

The  name  "Matilija"  is  the  Indian  title  for  the 
river  in  Ventura  County  along  whose  banks  the 
Spanish  first  found  this  Poppy.  Its  botanical  name 
is  Romneya  trichocalyx.  Romneya  is  for  an  Irish 
astronomer,  Thomas  Romney  Robinson,  of  Armagh 
Observatory.  Trichocalyx  refers  to  the  calyx  being 
formed  of  three  parts. 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  19 

The  Romneya  Coulteri  resembles  the  Matilija  so 
closely  that  it  is  often  called  Matilija.  It  does  differ 
in  some  ways.  Its  branches  come  up  more  firmly 
from  the  base,  and  its  sepals  are  smooth,  with  no 
hairs.  As  every  Poppy  has  the  habit  of  pushing  off 
its  sepal  cap  when  it  is  ready  to  bloom,  people  do 
not  generally  notice  its  calyx.  The  Romneya  Coul- 
teri blossom  looks  exactly  like  that  of  the  Romneya 
trichocalyx,  so  it  is  little  wonder  we  confuse  them. 
Coulteri  is  for  Dr.  Thomas  Coulter,  who  botanized 
in  Mexico  for  many  years,  and  who  collected  the 
wildflowers  of  California  in  1831  and  1832.  His 
collection  was  sent  to  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  After 
his  death,  the  collection  was  arranged  by  Professor 
W.  H.  Harvey,  the  curator  of  the  herbarium  of 
Trinity  College,  and  it  is  still  to  be  found  there. 

All  three  of  these  poppies  are  widely  cultivated 
today.  The  Eschscholtzia  loses  heart  when  trans- 
ported from  its  native  land  and  blooms  paler  and 
weaker  and  less  satiny.  It  has  been  evolved  into 
various  shades  of  pink  and  red,  but  under  cultiva- 
tion, it  never  matches  in  beauty  its  glorious  wild 
abandon.  The  two  Romneyas  retain  their  native 
qualities  and  are  handsome  additions  to  garden  or 
park.  Today  we  value  our  poppies  chiefly  for  their 
beauty,  but  the  Spanish  Californians  used  to  fry  the 
leaves  of  californica  in  olive  oil  for  a  hair  tonic, 
and  the  Indians  before  them  used  the  leaves  as 


20    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


greens.  Many  of  the  family  are  raised  in  Europe 
for  the  seeds,  from  which  is  extracted  an  oil  as  sweet 
as  olive  oil  and  quite  as  useful  for  food  purposes. 
The  seeds  are  also  good  to  eat  with  bread.  Perhaps 
you  have  relished  the  "poppy  bread"  made  by  our 
French  bakeries.  Among  the  ancients,  the  poppy 
was  sacred  to  Ceres,  the  goddess  in  Roman  mythol- 
ogy who  had  supervision  over  tillage  and  harvests. 

A  plant  that  takes  no  chances  on  an  insect's  going 
astray  while  seeking  its  nectar  is  the  Radish.  It 
spreads  out  its  four  petals  in  the  form  of  a  cross 
and  then  interlines  them  with  little  paths  leading 

down  to  its  feast.  These 
lines  are  called  "honey 
paths,"  and  they  are 
found  in  many  insect- 
summoning  flowers.  The 
petals  of  the  Radish 
diminish  into  claws,  so 
that  the  visitor  has  little 
-interference  in  satisfy- 
ing his  hunger;  and, 
either  coming  or  going, 
he  is  sure  to  knock 
against  the  stamens.  At 
the  slightest  touch,  the 
RADISH  anthers  pour  out  their 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  21 

pollen,  and  Mr.  Bug  has  his  head  or  his  back  or  his 
legs  "powdered  with  gold."  His  appetite  is  never 
satisfied  with  the  feast  set  in  one  flower,  so  off  he 
journeys  into  the  next  to  devour  its  store.  As  he  fum- 
bles around,  some  of  the  pollen  he  carries  is  sure  to 
be  rubbed  on  the  stigma.  The  stigma,  you  know,  is 
the  top  of  the  pistil  in  which  lie  little  cells  waiting 
for  the  pollen  to  convert  them  into  seeds. 

In  the  Radish,  the  seeds  grow  very  quickly.  As 
the  pistil  lengthens  out  into  a  purple-tinted  pod, 
they  swell  it  out  at  regular  intervals,  making  it  re- 
semble a  string  of  beads.  Do  you  think  this  con- 
struction helps  get  the  seeds  scattered?  Watch 
them.  The  botanical  name  of  the  Radish,  "Rapha- 
nus,"  comes  from  two  Greek  words,  "quickly"  and 
"appear."  If  you  will  watch  the  speed  with  which 
the  plant  takes  hold  of  a  waste  field,  you  will  see 
that  it  has  lost  none  of  its  energy  in  the  passing  cen- 
turies. ."Sativus"  the  name  of  this  species,  indicates 
something  "common." 

Run  your  fingers  over  the  leaf  of  the  Radish. 
Taste  it.  Do  not  the  feeling  and  the  flavor  suggest 
to  you  why  the  plant  is  not  eaten  up  when  young 
by  the  herb-eating  animals?  If  a  plant  does  not 
protect  itself  from  the  ground  up,  it  may  lose  its 
opportunity  of  making  seed;  and  no  self-respecting 
plant  would  do  that. 

The  pungency  of  the  Radish  that  is  disagreeable 


22     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

to  animals  makes  it  valuable  to  man.  Its  whole 
family — the  Cruciferae,  from  its  petals  being  ar- 
ranged like  a  cross — is  useful,  giving  us  many  of  the 
vitamines  now  considered  so  necessary  to  our  vital- 
ity and  also  the  principal  condiments  which  trans- 
form ordinary  foods  into  palatable  dishes.  In  Cali- 
fornia, there  are  many  Cruciferae,  and  they  are 
worth  while  studying.  Note  the  similarity  in  the 
shape  of  their  blossoms  and  the  number  and  ar- 
rangement of  the  stamens  and  the  differences  in  the 
shapes  of  their  seed-cases.  Which  shaped  pod  will 
get  the  new  seeds  farthest  away  from  the  mother 
plant?  Several  of  our  Cruciferae  are  really  natives 
of  the  Eastern  Continent;  but,  through  the  efficiency 
of  their  seed-cases,  they  accompanied  the  human 
pioneers  to  this  Western  land.  The  Radish  is  one  of 
these  seventeenth  century  immigrants,  and  in  the 
genial  climate  of  California  its  descendants  have 
increased  in  size  and  in  beauty. 

One  of  the  best  plants  in  which  to  study  the  pro- 
cess of  cross-fertilization  is  the  Willow-Herb.  The 
blossoms  wave  at  the  top  of  the  stem,  usually  a 
bright  magenta  which  can  be  seen  at  some  distance. 
The  four  petals  open  broadly,  disclosing  the  eight 
stamens  standing  up  bravely,  with  their  firm  little 
anthers  on  top;  while  the  undeveloped  style  and 
stigma  remain  crouched  in  the  center.  The  anthers 
ripen  in  the  sunshine  and  pour  out  their  pollen  on 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  23 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Soares 
WILLOW  HERB 


24    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

investigating  visitors.  As  they  empty,  the  style 
grows  erect,  with  its  stigma  a  gray  bulb  on  the  top. 
When  the  anthers  are  quite  withered,  the  style 
pushes  quickly  beyond  them,  and  the  stigma  opens 
into  four  whitish  lobes  sensitive  to  any  pollen  that 
may  touch  them.  The  seed  pods  swell  quickly;  and 
their  long,  slender  lines,  tinged  with  magenta,  make 
the  plant  still  beautiful  after  the  flowers  have 
passed. 

When  the  seeds  are  mature,  the  pod  splits  open 
at  the  top,  curving  back  into  four  sections.  In  each 
section  is  a  row  of  fleece-crowned  seeds,  all  eager  to 
sail  off  in  the  unknown  air.  The  pod  curves  back 
gradually,  so  that  all  the  seeds  are  not  exposed  at 
once.  When  the  top  ones  are  carried  away  by  a 
breeze  or  scattered  by  some  animal  stirring  against 
the  lower  branches  of  the  plant,  the  pod  curves  fur- 
ther back,  allowing  a  new  set  to  be  freed.  The 
snowy  silky  hairs  are  about  a  half  inch  long,  and  the 
tips  of  the  hairs  are  slightly  glued  to  the  walls  of  the 
pod,  some  to  one  side,  some  to  the  other,  so  that  the 
seed  hangs  between.  The  seeds  are  so  light  that  it 
is  estimated  that  it  would  take  30,000,  hairs  and  all, 
to  weigh  as  much  as  a  white  bean.  With  so  little 
weight  to  carry,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  para- 
chutes cover  long  distances  from  the  mother  plant. 

It  is  this  habit  of  the  seeds  that  has  given  Willow- 
Herb  her  other  common  name,  Fireweed.  When  a 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  25 

country  has  been  laid  bare  by  flames,  the  next  season 
the  Fireweed  springs  up  like  magic.  The  tuft- 
buoyed  seeds  have  been  searching  for  just  such  a 
naked  land  to  settle  in.  Plant  societies  have  just  as 
much  competition  as  human  societies  have;  and 
they,  too,  seek  to  lessen  the  struggle  for  existence  by 
emigration.  It  is  true  that  the  individual  plant 
starts  off  to  make  its  fortune  at  an  earlier  stage  than 
does  the  individual  human;  but,  when  once  landed 
at  its  destination,  through  the  unconscious  kindness 
of  bird  or  animal  or  wind,  its  struggles  parallel 
those  of  the  human  pioneer.  If  it  be  easily  discour- 
aged, it  is  driven  out  of  existence;  but,  if  it  can 
adapt  itself  to  its  new  environment,  its  race  will 
soon  have  control  of  the  surrounding  territory.  The 
Fireweed  is  of  adventurous  stock.  It  is  ever  seeking 
uninhabited  regions;  and  when  other  settlers  move 
in  and  life  becomes  crowded,  off  it  hazards  again. 
The  family  has  traveled  into  the  Arctic  regions,  and 
explorers  write  of  using  its  leaves  as  greens  to  give 
variety  to  their  menu.  It  certainly  is  bitter  enough 
to  be  a  good  tonic.  In  Kamchatka,  they  extract  a 
sugar  by  boiling  the  whole  plant,  and  use  this  as  a 
foundation  to  make  an  ale  and  a  vinegar. 

The  name  Willow-Herb,  as  well  as  the  botanical 
name  of  the  species,  angustifolia,  comes  from  the 
shape  of  the  leaves.  Epilobium,  the  genus,  is  from 
two  Greek  words,  "upon"  and  "pod,"  and  you  read- 
ily see  that  this  well  describes  the  blossom  habit. 


26    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

A  flower  that  bees  and  butterflies  and  human  be- 
ings all  seem  to  admire  alike  is  the  Mariposa.  We 
delight  in  its  exquisite  hues  and  beautiful  shape. 
The  insects  are  attracted  by  the  color,  and  they  find 
the  simple  cup  an  easy  vessel  from  which  to  sip 
their  sought-for  breakfast.  The  Mariposa  is  most 
generous  in  her  hospitality.  Not  only  does  she  tint 
her  cup  rose  or  yellow  or  lilac,  but  she  adds  great 
splotches  of  maroon  or  brown  or  yellow,  or  perhaps 
bands  of  gold,  or  both  splotches  and  bands  in  one 
blossom,  with  dots  added  for  extra  measure.  All 
this  decoration  is  developed  just  to  indicate  to  the 
visitor  where  her  honey  lies.  She  does  not  set  the 
feast  out  simply  in  open  plates.  She  has  learned 
that  visitors  like  variety.  So  she  digs  little  pits  for 
her  nectar;  and,  to  add  a  touch  of  that  mystery 
which  quickens  the  desires  of  all  individuals,  she 
covers  them  closely  with  a  curtain  of  thick  hairs.  If 
you  think  that  the  insects  do  not  respond  to  this 
enticement,  just  count  the  number  of  kinds  you  see 
enter  a  Mariposa  any  sunny  day.  Of  course,  as  they 
push  aside  the  curtain,  they  are  dusted  with  the 
pollen  from  the  six  upright  stamens.  This  they 
carry  to  the  next  flower,  and  so  Madame  Mariposa 
is  rewarded  for  her  munificence. 

As  you  see,  the  Mariposa's  parts  are  in  threes, 
three  sepals,  three  petals,  six  stamens,  and  a  three- 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  27 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
MARIPOSA 


28     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

angled  seed-case.  It  belongs  to  the  Liliaceae,  or 
ly  family.  Have  you  noticed  how  careful  the 
.riposa  is  of  her  pollen?  See  how  the  petals  fold 
tightly  unless  the  sun  is  shining.  How  does  she 
scatter  her  seeds?  Do  the  plants  that  come  from 
seeds  bloom  the  first  year?  Have  you  ever  reckless- 
ly pulled  up  a  Mariposa?  What  was  on  the  end? 
You  see  by  pulling  up  the  plant  you  have  not  only 
stopped  the  life  of  this  year's  Mariposa,  but  you 
have  taken  up  the  bulb  which  would  produce  a  new 
individual.  In  gathering  Mariposa,  do  take  a 
scissors  along  and  cut  the  stems.  Then  you  have  the 
enjoyment  of  their  beauty  and  have  not  injured  their 
bulbs. 

"Mariposa"  is  the  Spanish  word  for  "butterfly," 
and  was  given  this  beautiful  flower  by  the  Spaniards 
who  settled  California  in  1769.  Mariposa  County 
gets  its  title  from  the  myriads  of  these  lilies  that 
gladden  its  acres.  The  genus  to  which  the  Mariposa 
belongs — Calochortus — includes  some  of  our  most 
beautiful  native  flowers.  In  other  countries  they 
have  been  introduced  into  gardens  and  are  among 
the  most  prized  of  cultivated  bulbous  plants.  The 
name,  Calochortus,  is  from  the  ancient  Greek, 
meaning  "beautiful  grass,"  which  you  can  see  is 
most  appropriate.  The  name  of  this  species,  pur- 
purasc ens,  simply  means  "purplish,"  from  the  tint  of 


SOME  SIMPLE  FLOWERS  29 

its  petals.  Many  of  the  Calochortus  family  are  not 
so  simply  shaped  as  is  the  Mariposa.  Note  the 
Fairy  Lanterns,  the  Pussy's  Ears,  the  Golden  Lan- 
terns. Whatever  their  shape,  they  are  all  remark- 
ably handsome.  One  or  more  species  is  found  in 
every  locality  in  the  State,  and  any  Californian  has 
an  opportunity  to  study  at  first  hand  their  beguiling 
ways  with  insects. 


30    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


CHAPTER  II. 

SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS. 

Some  plants  do  not  arrange  their  floral  envelopes 
simply,  as  do  the  Poppy,  the  Radish,  the  Willow- 
Herb,  and  the  Mariposa.  They  have  learned  that 
certain  small  insects  specialize  in  burglary,  creep- 
ing in  between  petals,  robbing  the  pantry,  and  slink- 
ing out  without  carrying  even  one  grain  of  pollen 
to  pay  for  their  meal.  The  plants  are  not  encourag- 
ing thieves  nor  beggars.  They  are  willing  to  do 
their  part,  but  they  wish  the  other  individual  to 
carry  his  share  of  the  burden  of  life.  So,  many 
plants  have  joined  their  parts  into  one  continuous 
whole  with  only  the  one  entrance.  Any  visitor  that 
comes  to  them  must  pass  the  anthers  and  the  stigma. 

The  Gilia  has  five  petals,  but  it  joins  their  lower 
parts  together  into  a  funnel  shape  and  spreads  out 
their  tops  into  five  lobes.  It  attaches  its  five  stamens 
to  the  inside  of  this  tube,  and  no  bug  can  get  down 
that  passage  or  come  out  of  it  without  receiving 
some  pollen  on  its  head.  Then,  as  it  partakes  of  the 
honey  in  the  next  flower,  this  pollen  falls  on  the 
stigma,  and  the  Gilia  is  repaid  for  her  ingenuity  in 
building. 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS  31 

The  Gilia  is  found  throughout  the  State,  but  it 
varies  in  size,  in  color,  in  arrangement.  Some  are 
the  tiniest  of  blossoms,  regular  fairy  nosegays  in 
pink,  white,  lilac,  salmon-hue,  and  they  grow  so 
low  and  so  thick  that  they  form  a  beauteous  carpet 
for  Mother  Earth.  Others  grow  taller,  with  more 
showy  flowers.  The  Scarlet  Gilia  of  the  Sierras, 
sometimes  called  the  Scarlet  Fuchsia,  is  very  hand- 
some and  also  very  interesting  in  its  growth.  It 
covers  its  leaves  and  stems  with  a  sticky  substance 
so  that  little  crawling  bugs  have  learned  to  keep 
away  from  it.  It  hangs  out  its  scarlet  tubes  loosely 
so  that  they  wave  on  each  stirring  breath  of  air  and 
beacon  to  the  winged  butterfly  or  the  humming- 
bird. These  can  send  their  tongues  down  the  flower 
tube  and  feast;  but,  in  doing  so,  they  will  get  some 
pollen  on  their  heads  to  be  carried  to  a  neighboring 
Gilia.  The  Scarlet  Gilia  is  not  afraid  of  the  first 
cold  snaps  in  Autumn,  but  just  colors  her  leaves  red 
and  reddish  brown,  as  if  she  thought  warmth  lay  in 
color,  and  goes  on  sending  out  new  flowers  at  the 
ends  of  her  many  little  branches.  Her  seeds,  formed 
in  the  cooling  days,  are  very  hardy.  When  scattered 
on  even  rocky  slopes,  they  lie  under  the  snow  all 
winter,  and  in  summer  hasten  on  with  the  work  of 
their  species.  No  seed  seems  to  be  wasted,  for  in  a 
few  summers  a  whole  hillside  becomes  glorious  with 
their  coloration. 


32    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

The  Gilias  do  not  all  bloom  in  the  daylight.  For 
instance,  one  whose  common  name  is  Evening  Snow 
prefers  to  attract  a  night  moth  to  help  her  in  her 

fertilization.  She  rolls 
up  her  petals  in  the 
day-time,  but  as  the 
afternoon  n  e  a  r  s  its 
close,  she  becomes  sud- 
denly alert.  She  un- 
furls her  five  white 
banners  and  sends  out 
great  whirls  of  her  fra- 
grance. After  the  sun 
sets,  the  moths  start  out 
seeking  their  meals. 
Both  fragrance  and 
ghostly  white  blossoms 
guide  them;  and  they 

GILIA 

co-operate,  even  though 
unconsciously,  with  Mrs.  Gilia. 

The  correct  pronunciation  of  the  genus  name, 
Gilia,  is  He'li-a,  its  first  syllable  sounding  exactly 
like  the  first  in  Gila  River  or  Gila  monster.  The 
flower  was  named  in  honor  of  a  Spanish  botanist, 
Felipe  Louis  Gil,  who  lived  in  the  last  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  just  at  the  time  when  our  State 
was  being  settled  by  white  men.  We  in  California 
should  be  careful  of  the  pronunciation  of  our  Span- 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS 


33 


ish  names,  as  the  history  of  the  State  is  bound  up 
with  them.  The  species  of  Gilia  used  in  illustration 
is  dichotorna,  which  means  "two-forked,"  from  the 
way  in  which  the  flower  stems  branch  out  on  either 
side  of  the  stalk. 

The  Silene  makes  a  very  positive  objection  to 
fee(|ig^;; insects  who  do  not  return  services.  She 
early  learned  that  ants  were  very  skillful  in  extract- 
ing sweets  without  paying  toll,  so  she  reconstructed 
her  plant  from  the  ground  up  to  impede  their 
climbs  to  her  blossoms.  She  developed  her  nodes 
into  comparative  mountains,  and  covered  herself 
with  soft  hairs.  When 
that  did  not  daunt 
them,  she  evolved 
glands  that  would  se- 
crete a  bitter,  sticky 
substance  and  deposit  it 
all  along  the  stems  and 
leaves.  Now,  woe  to 
that  ant  that  attempts 
to  mount  a  Silene.  It  is 
as  difficult  as  for  a  hu- 
man being  to  loosen 
himself  from  the  quick- 
sands. Even  with  this 
safeguard,  Silene 
was  not  satisfied  that  her  seed-making  parts  were 


SILENE 


34    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

secure  from  spoliation.  To  make  security  doubly 
sure,  she  united  her  five  sepals  into  a  tough  tubular 
calyx,  with  the  outside  both  hairy  and  sticky.  It  is 
inflated  below  to  look  formidable  to  tiny  eyes  look- 
ing upward,  but  it  converges  at  the  top  into  five 
points  which  mark  the  apexes  of  the  five  original 
sepals.  Lest  this  calyx  appear  too  forbidding  to 
guests  she  wishes  to  welcome,  she  has  ten  prominent 
brownish  veins  marking  the  way  up  to  the  opening. 
While  the  stem,  leaf,  and  calyx  are  developed  to 
repel  insects,  the  corolla  is  formed  to  attract.  Thus 
Silene  announces  definitely  that  she  wishes  creatures 
that  fly,  and  not  those  that  merely  crawl.  The 
corolla  is  beautifully  fashioned.  Each  petal  has  a 
narrow  limb  inside  the  calyx,  but  it  spreads  out  into 
a  broad  claw  on  reaching  the  light.  The  claw  has 
a  cleft  in  the  center,  and  also  a  little  tooth  on  each 
outer  side;  and  just  where  it  leaves  the  calyx,  it 
waves  an  upright  banner.  These  five  banners,  stand- 
ing close  to  each  other  in  a  ring,  are  called  the 
crown  of  the  corolla;  and  they  are  there  to  guide 
the  flying  creature  down  to  the  tube  in  which  lies 
the  nectar  he  desires.  Inside  the  petals  rise  the  ten 
stamens,  each  flaunting  a  pollen  box;  and  inside 
them,  and  lower  down,  are  the  three  styles  and  their 
stigmas.  The  corolla  tube  is  not  wide,  so  when 
fumbling  around,  whether  for  nectar  or  for  pollen, 
the  insect  will  get  some  dust  on  his  body  and  carry. 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS  35 

it  away  to  the  next  flower.  After  the  ovules  are 
fertilized,  the  petals  fall  away,  but  the  tough  calyx 
persists  as  a  protection  to  the  maturing  seeds. 

The  common  name  of  the  Silene,  Catch-Fly,  is 
readily  recognized  as  appropriate,  and  so  is  its 
other  popular  name,  Campion,  which  means  "Field 
Flower."  Sometimes  it  is  called  Wild  Pink,  be- 
cause it  belongs  to  the  world-wide  family  of  Pinks, 
the  Caryophylleae.  Silene,  the  older  botanists 
say,  comes  from  Silenus,  the  Satyr  in  Greek  mythol- 
ogy, who  was  the  constant  companion  of  Bacchus, 
probably  because  these  revelers  laid  plans  to  catch 
the  weak  through  their  appetites;  but  Professor 
Jepson  gives  the  derivation  of  the  name  from  sialon, 
the  Greek  for  "saliva,"  referring  to  its  viscidity. 
Verecunda,  the  name  of  the  species  here  shown, 
means  "modest,"  and  well  describes  its  unobtrusive- 
ness. 

The  Wild  Currant,  which  roams  California  from 
the  seaside  to  the  high  Sierras,  arranges  its  floral 
envelope  in  a  tube  with  the  tops  spread  out.  At  the 
Coast,  this  shrub  sends  out  its  blossom  after  the 
first  rains,  so  that  usually  one  can  gather  a  great 
bunch  before  Thanksgiving.  The  individual  flower, 
if  taken  away  from  its  group  cluster,  looks  very 
much  like  the  individual  blossom  of  the  Trailing 
Arbutus  or  Mayflower  of  the  East — that  delicate 
beauty  which  always  arouses  the  enthusiasm  of  the 


36    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


poet  of  Spring.  It  is  but  an  accidental  resemblance, 
as  the  plants  do  not  belong  to  the  same  family  and 
have  quite  different  habits;  yet  our  Currant,  burst- 
ing out  as  it  does  when  most  members  of  the  Floral 
Kingdom  are  still  sleeping,  brings  to  us  the  same 
thrill  of  joy  in  the  awakening  life  of  Nature  as  does 
the  Mayflower  to  the  East. 

The  Currant  is  illustrative  of  California's  topsy- 

turvy calendar.  Along 
the  Coast,  as  soon  as  the 
early  rains  vivify  the 
earth,  be  they  in  Octo- 
ber or  in  December,  the 
Currant  sends  out  her 
new  leaves  of  delicate 
green  and  her  graceful 
tassels  of  pink  and  white 
to  indicate  that,  in  spite 
of  the  almanac's  an- 
nouncing Winter,  it  is 
really  Spring  on  the 
Western  Shore.  Then, 
in  the  Sierras,  as  soon  as 


WILD   CURRANT 


the     JUIie      and     JUlY     SUI1 

has     lifted     the     heavy 

snow  blanket,  out  bursts  the  Currant  of  that  altitude 
in  her  delicate  green  and  gladsome  pink  to  proclaim 
that,  while  the  almanac  may  call  it  Summer,  it  is 
really  Spring  in  our  Western  Mountains. 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS  37 

The  Currant's  leaves  send  out  a  spicy  fragrance 
that  has  earned  it  the  name  of  Incense  Bush.  This 
summons  the  birds  and  bugs  from  afar.  Then,  the 
little  pink  flower,  with  its  five  stamens  and  two- 
parted  style,  is  compensated  for  her  early  ventur- 
ing. Notice  how  her  tube  grows  darker  after  the 
seed  is  formed.  When  does  this  tube  fall  off?  No- 
tice the  leaves,  their  upper  and  lower  surfaces; 
their  coating  in  the  cold  and  in  the  warm  months; 
the  way  they  are  attached  to  the  stems;  their  differ- 
ences in  appearance  at  different  ages. 

The  Currant  is  ideal  for  cultivation,  as  it  responds 
to  the  slightest  effort  to  improve  its  conditions.  In 
England,  it  is  planted  in  the  gardens  and  parks  as 
an  ornamental  shrub.  Even  in  a  foreign  land,  it 
clings  to  its  old-home  habits  and  bursts  into  bloom 
ahead  of  any  of  its  neighbors.  Wherever  it  dwells, 
be  it  at  sea  level  or  on  moutain  slope,  in  its  native 
West  or  transported  to  the  Atlantic  Shores,  it  seems 
to  have  a  psychic  sense  of  the  approach  of  Spring, 
and  it  rushes  forth  to  welcome  her  before  more 
materialistic  plants  have  even  heard  her  approach- 
ing footsteps.  The  Currant's  genus  name,  Ribes, 
comes  from  the  mystic  Arabian,  which  perhaps  por- 
trays a  quality  of  the  race.  The  species,  sangui- 
neum,  describes  the  color  of  the  flower  buds. 

An  interesting  fact  connected  with  California 
Flora  is  that  many  of  the  specimens  from  which  the 


38    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

species  were  named  are  still  perfectly  preserved  in 
the  British  Museum  in  London.  The  British  atten- 
tion was  called  to  the  rich  array  of  plants  iri  Cali- 
fornia when  Vancouver  visited  our  shores  in  1792, 
when  he  was  in  the  Pacific  to  act  as  England's  rep- 
resentative to  settle  the  Nootka  difficulty.  Because 
that  commission  of  English  and  Spaniards  arranged 
a  settlement  of  their  controversy  without  going  to 
war,  they  had  more  thought  to  devote  to  the  arts 
and  sciences  of  Peace.  Hence,  they  kept  records 
of  the  plants  and  animals  of  the  foreign  countries. 

The  botanist  of  Vancouver's  Expedition  was  Ar- 
chibald Menzies,  a  surgeon  of  the  Royal  Navy.  He 
had  visited  the  Northwest  Coast  of  America  in  1779 
and  had  become  interested  in  the  flowers.  Vancou- 
ver wrote  in  his  report:  "For  the  purpose  of  pre- 
serving such  new  or  uncommon  plants  as  he  might 
deem  worthy  of  a  place  amongst  His  Majesty's  very 
valuable  collection  of  exotics  at  Kew,  a  glazed 
frame  was  erected  on  the  after  part  of  the  quarter 
deck  for  the  reception  of  those  he  might  have  an 
opportunity  of  collecting."  Menzies  collected 
three  sets  of  California  plants,  one  of  which  went 
to  Kew  Gardens,  one  to  the  British  Museum,  and 
one  to  the  herbarium  of  the  Botanical  Society  in 
Edinburgh.  As  he  was  the  first  scientist  to  make 
known  many  of  our  plants,  his  name  is  applied  to 
a  number  of  the  California  species.  One  of  the 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS  39 

Baby-Blue-Eyes  is  named  in  honor  of  him,  Nemo- 
phi  I  a  Menziesii. 

From  the  time  of  Vancouver  on,  the  British  col- 
lection of  California  plants  has  been  continuously 
added  to,  so  that  today,  if  a  student  wishes  to  study 
the  "type"  of  a  plant,  he  goes  to  London  for  many 
of  them.  When  a  scientist  collects  a  new  plant,  he 
classifies  it  and  studies  it;  and,  if  it  does  not  belong 
to  any  known  species,  he  considers  it  a  new  plant 
and  names  it.  This  original  specimen  is  called  the 
"type"  of  that  plant.  It  seems  wonderful  today, 
when  all  the  scientists  that  collected  them  are  long 
dead  and  most  of  them  unknown,  that  such  frail 
little  plants  as  Baby-Blue-Eyes  and  Mimulus  are  as 
good  specimens  to  study  the  type  from  as  they  were 
when  picked  over  a  hundred  years  ago. 

Under  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  Governments, 
the  capital  of  California  was  Monterey,  and  every 
vessel  had  to  enter  that  port  and  register  at  the 
Custom  House  before  it  received  a  permit  to  visit 
other  places  on  the  Coast.  For  this  reason,  most  of 
the  Coast  plants  gathered  by  visiting  scientists  were 
taken  from  the  vicinity  of  Monterey,  and  so  Mon- 
terey is  known  among  botanists  as  the  "type  region" 
of  California. 

In  addition  to  being  the  "type  region/'  Monterey 
holds  other  and  more  important  claims  to  the  inter- 
est of  the  botanist.  It  is  the  region  where  plants 


40    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

from  the  North  stopped  in  their  progress  south  and 
where  plants  of  the  South  stopped  in  their  advance 
north,  so  that  it  is  the  home  of  both  northern:  and 
southern  species.  Then,  too,  in  it  still  are  found 
plants  which  have  ceased  to  exist  in  a  wild  state 
anywhere  else  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  There 
are  peculiar  species  of  the  Ceanothus  and  Manza- 
nita  and  of  other  plants  that  grow  nowhere  else. 

The  best  known  plant  endemic  to  the  region  is  the 
Monterey  Cypress,  whose  native  habitat  is  only  in 
two  groves  along  that  coast.  The  grove  at  Cypress 
Point  extends  for  two  miles  along  the  water  and  for 
sixty  rods  inland;  the  one  at  Point  Lobos  is  much 
smaller.  The  Monterey  Cypress  natively  is  the 
most  restricted  of  any  coniferous  plant  in  the  world. 
This  seems  peculiar  when  one  knows  how  plants 
disperse  their  seeds  so  broadcast,  and  one  sees  that 
each  Monterey  Cypress  cone  produces  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  healthy  seeds,  all  light-winged 
and  easy  to  be  carried  by  the  wind.  It  seems  even 
more  strange  when  one  sees  how  the  Monterey 
Cypress  is  scattered  over  the  world  under  cultiva- 
tion. The  seeds  in  open-air  nursery  beds  germinate 
in  two  or  three  weeks,  and  the  seedlings  flourish  like 
weeds.  Its  seeds  were  first  taken  abroad  in  1838; 
and  before  the  end  of  the  century,  it  was  the  most 
widely  cultivated  cone-bearer  of  Southern  and 
Western  Europe,  South  America  and  Australia, 


SOME  TUBULAR  FLOWERS  41 

Its  closely  crowded  leaves,  developed  to  withstand 
the  sea  winds  of  its  native  shore,  make  it  an  admira- 
ble hedge  or  windbreak  to  protect  more  delicate 
species. 


42    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


CHAPTER  III. 

SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS. 

Some  plants,  in  developing  their  blossoms  so  that 
the  bug  and  the  bird  must  aid  them,  have  achieved 
fantastic  shapes.  Just  notice  the  Bleeding  Heart, 
with  its  symmetrical  roseate  flower.  The  calyx  is 
inconspicuous,  its  two  sepals  soon  falling  off.  The 
four  petals  are  in  two  pairs,  quite  differently  shaped. 
The  outer  pair  form  the  red  heart  which  attracts 
the  insect;  the  inner  pair  is  spoon-like,  with  the 
tops  of  the  bowls  joined,  forming  a  protecting  dome 
over  the  anthers  and  stigma.  Separate  the  pairs  of 
petals  with  a  pin  and  see  the  construction  for  your- 
self. 

Is  it  possible  for  a  bug  to  crawl  down  to  the 
dishes  of  honey  without  getting  its  head  "powdered 
with  gold"?  And,  with  such  ravenous  appetites  as 
these  little  creatures  seem  to  possess,  it  is  about  cer- 
tain that  he  will  visit  the  next  dangling  red  heart. 
Then,  his  powdered  head  will  brush  the  two  lobes 
of  the  stigma,  and  he  has  paid  for  his  refreshments. 
Watch  the  insects  that  linger  around  the  Bleeding 
Heart.  Can  they  feast  from  her  table  without  going 
inside?  See  how  the  plant  waves  the  blossoms  on 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS         43 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Soares 
BLEEDING  HEART 


44    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

top  of  long,  naked  stems  so  that  no  leaves  will  hide 
them.  Does  that  mean  that  the  visitors  will  come  on 
wings?  Note  how  each  blossom  hangs  its  head,  and 
how  weak  its  little  stem  is.  Is  it  likely  birds  try 
to  get  its  honey? 

Observe  the  leaves.  See  how  they  are  dissected. 
Bleeding  Heart  does  not  care  for  much  warmth. 
She  makes  her  leaf  surface  smaller  by  cutting  it  into 
fern-like  divisions.  They  absorb  less  sunshine  than 
if  they  were  spread  out  their  original  breadth. 
Does  Bleeding  Heart  thrive  in  the  sun  or  in  the 
shade?  Does  she  die  when  her  blossoms  and  leaves 
have  disappeared? 

The  botanical  name  of  our  Bleeding  Heart  is 
Dicentra  formosa.  ^Dicentra"  is  from  two  Greek 
words,  "twice"  and  "  a  spur";  and  u  formosa"  means 
beautiful.  A  sister,  also  a  native  of  California,  is 
Dicentra  chrysantha,  the  Golden  Dicentra.  While 
not  so  beautiful  as  the  Bleeding  Heart  in  the  wild 
gardens,  this  becomes  handsome  under  cultivation. 
A  relative  in  the  Eastern  States  is  commonly  known 
as  "Dutchman's  Breeches,"  from  the  shape  of  the 
corolla. 

Another  California  plant  that  bears  a  Greek  name 
and  that  has  evolved  an  odd  corolla,  is  the  Cyno- 
glgssum  grande.  The  common  name,  Hound's 
Tongue,  .is  an  exact  translation  of  the  Greek  Cyno- 
glossum,  and  they  are  derived  from  the  shape  and 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS          45 

texture  of  the  green  leaves  at  the  base  of  the  flower 
stalk.  "Grande/'  every  Californian  knows,  means 
"large,"  so  called  because  our  native  species  is  un- 
usually handsome. 

The  Hound's  Tongue  is  one  of  the  early  bloom- 
ers, either  at  the  coast  or  in  the  mountains.  Notice 
the  leaves  when  the  plant  is  young.  They  are  cov- 
ered with  the  finest,  softest  of  hairs,  making  a  gar- 
ment as  warm  as  a  human  mother  would  use  to 
envelope  her  new  baby.  Aside  from  protection  from 
cold,  perhaps  Hound's  Tongue  had  another  reason 
in  producing  this  pubescence.  Her  first  leaves  are 
pinkish  and  must  look  appetizing  to  herbivorous 
animals  seeking  a  springtime  meal.  If  the  leaves 
were  quite  naked,  they  might  be  devoured  whole. 
The  hairs  make  eating  uncomfortable  and  the  bitter 
taste  makes  them  unpalatable  so  they  are  left  to 
guard  the  flower  stalk  hidden  in  their  midst. 

A  little  warm  sunshine  acts  as  magic  on  this  stalk, 
and  it  raises  its  flower  head  towards  the  sky  as  if  to 
absorb  the  Heaven's  own  hues.  Its  buds  are  colored 
the  softest  pink  of  the  early  dawn,  and  its  flowers 
the  intense  azure  of  the  mountain  sky  when  ob- 
served from  the  floor  of  a  deep  canyon.  Her  suc- 
cess in  dyeing  her  blossom  should  satisfy  Hound's 
Tongue;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  she  learned  centu- 
ries ago  that  her  revel  in  blue  made  her  too  incon- 
spicuous under  the  immense  cerulean  arch. 


46    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
HOUND'S   TONGUE 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS          47 

This  would  never  do.  The  greatest  injustice  a 
plant  can  do  its  descendants  is  to  have  inconspicu- 
ous flowers,  unless  it  develops  some  substitute 
attraction;  and  Hound's  Tongue  had  no  idea  of 
shirking  her  duty.  Loving  the  sky,  she  did  not  wish 
to  change  her  color,  so  she  copied  its  beauties  still 
further  by  developing  an  arch  of  white  at  the  inner 
curve  of  each  petal.  We  notice  at  once  the  effective- 
ness of  this  color  contrast,  and  so  does  the  insect. 
He  may  be  soaring  under  the  heavenly  blue  until 
he  is  surfeited  with  that  shade,  but  his  eyes  are 
caught  by  the  five  white  crests,  and  down  he  swoops. 
Or  he  may  be  climbing  up  with  the  sky  filling  his 
vision,  when  a  sudden  glimpse  of  those  gleaming 
crests  will  divert  his  footsteps.  Once  under  the 
snowy  arch,  the  same  process  goes  on.  As  he  feeds, 
he  is  powdered  with  pollen,  which  he  carries  to  an- 
other blossom. 

Having  so  arduously  developed  her  beautiful 
blossom  to  secure  cross  fertilization,  Hound's 
Tongue  takes  no  chances  on  her  seed  being  wasted. 
On  each  of  the  four  nutlets  that  are  ripened  in  her 
ovary,  she  has  evolved  numerous  hooks.  No  mov- 
ing thing  can  pass  her,  be  it  sheep  or  be  it  human, 
without  these  little  barbs  catching  in  his  covering. 
Perhaps  you  have  had  the  experience  of  brushing 
them  off  your  clothes.  That  is  exactly  why  Hound's 
Tongue  so  fashioned  them.  Her  seeds  are  sure  to 


48     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

be  carried  away  from  the  parent  plant  to  a  new 
soil  where  they  can  more  easily  carry  on  her  project. 
The  Milkweed,  too,  forms  a  curious  floral  envel- 
ope for  her  seed-making  parts.  She  has  the  calyx 
and  corolla  regular,  with  five  parts  each.  She  has 
five  stamens,  one  attached  to  the  base  of  each  petal ; 
but,  instead  of  having  them  grow  up  free  as  the 
stamens  in  the  Buttercup,  she  unites  their  filaments 
into  a  tube  which  encloses  the  pistil.  At  the  top 
of  each  stamen  is  an  anther  with  two  cells,  each  cell 
containing  a  flattened,  pear-shaped  mass  of  waxy 
pollen.  The  two  pollen  pears  of  the  same  anther 
are  not  hung  together;  but  the  left  one  is  hung  on 
the  same  tiny  stalk  as  is  the  right  one  of  the  next 
anther.  So  there  are  five  sets  hanging,  each  of  two 
waxy  pears,  one  pear  from  each  of  the  two  adjacent 
anthers.  The  stigma  is  connected  with  these  anthers 
but  is  above  them.  Obviously,  the  Milkweed  needs 
some  insect  aid.  So,  she  has  developed  a  fascinating 
set  of  nectaries,  or  honey  glands.  Five  hoods  are 
placed  in  a  ring  between  the  corolla  and  the  sta- 
mens, and  each  hood  carries  a  horn  curving  inward. 
These  hoods  are  the  conspicuous  part  of  the  flower. 
Examine  them,  and  your  respect  for  the  Milkweed 
Will  mount  high. 

goOf 'course,  the  bee  dives  into  the  hood  head  first 
to  get  the  nectar.  The  waxy  pollen  pears  stick  to 
his  legs  and  are  carried  to  the  next  blossom.  As 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS 


49 


his  mouth  is  down  at  the  honey  plates,  his  legs  wave 
above  and  hit  the  stigma.  You  always  find  bees 
around  Milkweed.  You  can  see  two  in  this  illus- 
tration. So  often  have  I 
found  them  asleep  in  the 
Milkwedd  flowers  in  the 
early  morning  before  the 
sun  has  warmed  the  air 
that  I  wonder  if  there 
be  a  narcotic  in  the  nec- 
tar. Perhaps  not.  May- 
be the  feast  is  so  deli- 
cious that  the  bees  sim- 
ply forget  to  go  home. 
I  have  picked  the  stalks 
with  the  sleeping  crea- 
tures on  many  times  and 
carried  them  into  the 
house.  When  the  warmer  air  roused  them  from 
their  naps,  there  was  a  great  commotion.  Bang! 
they  buzzed  against  one  window.  Bang!  against 
another.  Scold  and  grumble  until  they  find  the 
open  door  and  return  to  freedom. 

Observe  the  leaves  and  the  bud  coverings  of  the 
Milkweed.  Why  are  they  so  wooly?  Do  you  find 
any  holes  bored  in  the  leaves?  Do  you  think  the 
insects  like  the  juice?  Milkweed,  like  Hound's 
Tongue,  has  made  ample  preparation  for  the  dis- 


MILKWEED 


SO    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

semination  of  her  seeds,  but  in  quite  a  different  way. 
She  crowns  each  seed  with  a  tuft  of  silky  hairs  so 
that  it  can  float  off  on  the  air.  Which  seed  gets  the 
surest  transportation,  the  one  that  depends  upon  the 
air  or  the  one  that  hooks  on  some  moving  creature? 

The  common  name,  Milkweed,  explains  itself. 
The  botanical  name  of  the  genus,  Asclepias,  is 
given  in  honor  of  Esculapius,  the  physician  of  the 
Greeks,  who  first  appears  in  Homer  as  a  human 
being  and  later  enters  their  mythology  as  the  God 
of  Healing.  His  daughters  were  Hygieia  and  Pan- 
aceia  and  Aegle.  From  the  first,  we  have  today 
"Hygiene,"  the  science  of  Health;  from  the  second, 
"Panacea,"  a  remedy  for  all  diseases;  and  for  the 
third,  there  is  named  a  family  of  Indian  plants  with 
high  medicinal  value.  We  might  surmise  from  its 
title  that  Milkweed  has  curative  qualities.  Perhaps 
it  has,  but,  as  a  matter  of  every-day  fact,  the  foliage 
of  our  California  species  is  poisonous  to  animals. 
Perhaps  this  quality  is  what  makes  the  bees  drowzy. 
Study  the  Milkweed  of  your  locality.  You  may  dis- 
cover some  fact  important  to  the  science  of  healing. 

One  of  the  California  wild  flowers  you  know 
best,  wherever  you  may  live,  is  the  Castilleja  or 
Paintbrush.  She,  too,  has  evolved  a  peculiar 
floral  envelope.  Perhaps  you  have  been  thinking 
that  all  the  brightly  colored  part  was  the  flower. 
Just  examine  the  stem  carefully,  and  you  will  see 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS          51 

that  the  lower  colored  parts  are  not  blossoms,  but 
just  bracts. 

<•  The  Castilleja  decided  to  group  her  small  flowers 
near  each  other,  but  she  saw  no  need  of  multiplying 
blossoms  just  to  attract  color-loving  eyes;  so,  instead, 
she  dyed  the  leaf-like  bracts  that  they  might  be  seen 
afar  and  serve  as  signals.  Then  she  built  the  calyx 
into  the  tube  and  rouged  it.  She  evolved  the  corolla 
like  the  calyx,  but  that  proved  too  simple.  So,  she 
flattened  it  out  and  then  divided  it  into  two  parts. 
The  back  part  is  a  long  beak-like  shape,  which 
stoops  over  and  encloses  the  four  stamens  and  the 
style;  the  front  lip  is  short  and  small,  with  three 
little  teeth  on  its  upper  surface.  The  insect  creeps 
in  over  the  short  lip  and  works  his  way  down  to  the 
honey.  As  he  comes  out,  he  gets  entangled  in  the 
upper  lip  and  hits  the  stigma  first  and  leaves  the 
pollen  he  carries  from  another  blossom.  He  also 
gets  a  new  dusting  to  take  away  with  him.  Observe 
the  various  blossoms  on  the  same  stalk.  Do  the  sta- 
mens and  pistils  mature  at  the  same  time?  In  some 
of  the  flowers,  you  find  the  style  with  its  stigma 
hanging  out  of  the  floral  tube.  What  does  that 
mean? 

Some  botanists  claim  that  Castilleja  is  a  para- 
sitic creature,  feeding  on  the  roots  of  other  plants. 
What  do  you  think  about  that?  If  you  study  the 
plant  carefully,  you  may  be  able  to  clear  its  name 
of  this  charge.  It  certainly  has  none  of  the  ear- 


52    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


marks  of  a  parasite.  It  has  a  root  of  its  own,  and  it 
has  green  leaves,  showing  that  it  does  some  work 
for  itself.  Study  those  leaves.  Do  you  ever  fmdr 
any  one  plant  upon  which  every  leaf  has  the  same 
shape?  Is  there  any  reason  for  their  deep  veining? 
Or  for  their  silky  down?  Have  you  noticed  the 
many  seeds  in  the  case?  How  are  these  seeds  dis- 
persed? Is  that  the  reason  the  Castilleja  soon  covers 
an  acreage? 

Castilleja  is  named  in  honor  of  a  Spanish  botanist, 

Castillejo.  The  species 
shown  here  is  parviflora, 
meaning  "poor  flowers." 
They  are  smaller  than 
many  of  their  sisters,  but 
even  this  species  often 
grows  large  and  beauti- 
ful. Perhaps  the  type 
from  which  the  species 
was  named  was  picked 
at  the  end  of  summer 
in  some  dry  situation. 
You  know,  from  your 
own  observation,  that 
the  earlier  blossoms  of 
every  species  grow  more 
magnificent  than  the  later  ones.  If  you  keep  pick- 
ing the  blossoms,  the  plant  will  send  out  new  ones 


CASTILLEJA 


SOME  FANTASTIC  FLOWERS          53 

so  as  to  secure  seed,  and  she  makes  them  as  fine 
as  she  can.  Some  persons  never  pick  their  cultivated 
flowers,  thinking  they  prefer  them  on  the  plant; 
but  this  simply  shortens  the  period  in  which  they  can 
enjoy  the  blooms.  The  more  you  pick,  the  harder 
the  plant  will  work  to  carry  out  its  own  object. 

Castilleja  is  not  at  all  poverty-stricken  in  tints 
and  shades  of  pigment.  When  Nature  dips  into  her 
paint  box  to  dress  her  floral  children,  she  uses  red 
less  frequently  than  any  other  color;  but  she  loses 
her  restraint  when  she  comes  to  California.  She 
has  given  us  a  greater  percentage  of  red  blossoms 
than  she  has  bestowed  upon  any  other  land.  She 
seems  to  have  given  Castilleja  free  play  with  the 
primary  colors,  only  bidding  her  to  keep  as  much 
a?  possible  to  the  colors  of  Spain.  And  well  has 
Castilleja  done  her  part.  Along  the  Coast,  she 
blooms  out  in  every  combination  of  red  and  yellow 
imaginable — cardinal,  scarlet,  yellow  orange,  burnt 
orange — with  all  their  shades  and  tints.  In  the 
Si%erras,  she  not  only  wears  all  these  hues,  but  she 
adds  a  dip  of  blue  in  the  mixing  and  comes  out  in 
crimson,  carnelian,  magenta,  vermillion — lovelier 
shades  than  ever  Paris  milliner  invented.  At  about 
6,500  feet  above  sea  level,  Castilleja  will  cover 
mountain  slopes  with  such  beauty  that  one  can  sim- 
ply stand  open-mouthed  in  admiration.  And  each 
plant  pushes  upward  with  such  energy  that  they 


54    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

often  reach  over  four  feet.  Then,  too,  they  have  a 
great  love  of  living.  While  there  is  a  bit  of  ground 
left  exposed,  Castilleja  ornaments  it.  Even  after  the 
first  autumn  snows  have  come  and  gone,  as  first 
snows  usually  do,  Castilleja  bravely  waves  a  dash 
of  color,  not  very  large  in  the  late  season,  but  enough 
to  show  her  spirit.  Because  of  the  cheer  Castilleja 
brings  to  California,  in  all  our  altitudes,  in  all  our 
climates,  I  dislike  to  think  of  her  being  accused  of 
being  a  parasite.  Perhaps,  by  a  careful  study  of  its 
habits,  you  can  acquit  this  courageous  creature  of 
this  charge. 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  55 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOME  GROUPED   FLOWERS. 

A  handsome  shrub  that  is  widely  distributed  over 
the  State  is  the  Ceanothus  or  California  Lilac. 
Every  one  has  admired  it,  as  it  adds  color  to  the 
landscape,  sometimes  a  vivid  blue,  sometimes  a 
smoky  haze,  sometimes  a  creamy  white.  Sometimes 
it  crawls  along  the  ground,  making  the  Squaw  Car- 
pet of  the  Sierras;  at  others,  it  towers  to  over  twenty 
feet,  as  in  the  Lilac  of  the  Coast  Range.  Sometimes 
its  leaves  are  broad  and  leathery;  sometimes  long 
and  narrow;  sometimes  it  is  hairy,  sometimes  spiny; 
but  with  all  its  variations  of  stem  and  leaf,  it  has 
one  habit  common  to  all  its  species.  It  bunches  up 
its  little  flowers  close  together,  so  that  they  will 
make  a  mass  of  color  that  will  be  seen  at  a  distance. 
It  does  not  make  the  flower  groups  the  same  shape 
on  different  species.  Sometimes  they  form  a  flat 
head,  sometimes  a  plume;  but  always  they  store  up 
such  quantities  of  nectar  that  its  fragrance  perfumes 
the  whole  countryside.  Even  the  nectar  differs  in 
the  species.  Sometimes  it  is  just  unalloyed  sweet- 
ness; at  others,  it  has  the  odor  of  mixed  flour  and 
water. 


56    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
CEANOTHUS 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  57 

Each  tiny  blossom  would  have  a  small  chance  in 
attracting  insects;  but,  grouped  together,  their  color 
and  fragrance  summon  myriads.  Indeed,  they  are 
so  crowded  with  all  sorts  of  creeping  creatures 
that  sometimes  it  is  hazardous  to  introduce  them 
into  one's  house,  no  matter  how  much  one  may 
admire  their  decorative  effect.  If  you  examine  each 
tiny  flower,  you  will  see  that  it  is  quite  perfect.  The 
five  sepals  touch  each  other  to  form  a  protection 
around  the  honey  glands,  for  the  lower  part  of  the 
petal  is  a  mere  claw.  It  broadens  at  the  top  and 
curves  toward  the  center  like  a  hood.  The  stamens 
seem  to  wish  to  avoid  any  protection  from  the 
petals,  for  they  grow  long  and  hang  quite  outside  the 
floral  envelope.  No  matter  what  type  of  creature 
touches  the  Ceanothus,  it  is  going  to  be  splashed 
with  pollen.  And  so  delectable  is  the  refreshment 
the  Ceanothus  offers  that  no  creature  will  leave 
without  accepting  the  hospitality  of  several  blos- 
soms. 

With  so  much  aid  so  honestly  earned,  very  good 
seeds  are  made.  You  perhaps  have  noticed  the 
many  new  plants  springing  up  around  the  mother 
bush.  Does  the  plant  arrange  for  the  seeds  getting 
any  distance  from  their  natal  place?  What  birds 
have  you  found  eating  these  seeds? 

The  name  Ceanothus  means  "a  spring  plant," 
referring  to  its  early  beauty  and  fragrance.  The 


58     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

species  here  pictured  is  verrucose,  so  named  because 
it  is  covered  with  wart-like  elevations.  Ceanothus 
was  given  the  genus  by  Theophrastus,  a  Greek  who 
studied  under  Plato  and  under  Aristotle.  Among 
many  books  that  he  wrote  were  ten  volumes  entitled 
uOf  the  History  of  Plants"  and  eight  called  "Of 
the  Causes  of  Plants."  Does  not  that  last  title  sound 
fascinating?  Does  it  not  make  us  seem  a  part  of 
the  World  History  when  the  native  plants  we  are 
studying  fit  into  the  same  class  as  those  known  in 
the  days  of  Aristotle? 

A  plant  that  passes  as  an  insignificant  weed  has 
a  picturesque  way  of  grouping  its  flowers.  Just  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Ceanothus,  the  Plantain  has  per- 
fect blossoms,  each  one  of  which  is  capable  of  seed- 
making.  However,  the  Plantain  wishes  a  superior 
seed;  and  having  learned  that  its  individual  flowers 
have  no  attraction,  it  sends  up  long  ribbed  stalks 
towering  above  its  lance-like  leaves  and  swells  out 
the  top  into  a  spike  of  densely  crowded  flowerets. 

Just  examine  one  the  next  time  you  walk.  You 
find  them  anywhere  there  is  enough  earth  to  give 
them  a  footing,  whether  it  be  along  the  State  High- 
way or  bordering  a  city  sidewalk.  See  how  the 
flower  head  sways  in  the  slightest  breeze.  This 
motion  will  catch  the  eye  of  bird  or  insect  even  if 
the  color  is  not  impressive.  Do  all  the  flowers 
mature  at  the  same  time?  Notice  the  tiny  bracts 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  59 

that  subtend  each  flower.  Why  are  they  so  placed? 
Observe  the  seed-cases.  When  the  seeds  are  quite 
ripe,  the  top  of  the  case  falls  off  like  a  lid,  and  the 
seeds  are  free  to  migrate.  How  do  they  get  around? 
Have  you  noticed  birds  eating  them? 

The  Plantain  may  be  very  insignificant  in  appear- 
ance, but  at  heart  it  is  really  a  great  adventurer. 
Many  of  our  most  famous  humans  are  like  that. 
Neither  Napoleon  nor  Grant  was  impressive  in 
stature.  The  Plantain  was  born  in  Europe;  but  dis- 
liking the  crowded  conditions  there,  it  fastened  a 
seed  in  the  wool  of  a  sheep  and  received  free  pas- 
sage to  Mexico.  After  multiplying  in  that  country, 
it  wearied  for  new  fields  to  conquer.  It  clung,  per- 
haps to  a  hair  of  the  very  horse  that  entered  Cali- 
fornia with  Padre  Junipero  Serra.  At  any  rate,  it 
was  an  early  pioneer.  In  our  State,  it  has  roamed 
from  South  to  North,  and  from  the  Sea  to  the 
Sierra.  It  adapts  itself  to  any  condition  or  climate. 
If  the  farmer  expel  it  from  his  rich  fields,  it  thrives 
in  the  poor  soil  at  the  edges ;  and  its  rosette  of  green 
furnishes  fair  pasturage  before  the  grass  gets  fully 
started. 

The  genus  was  named  Plantago  by  the  ancient 
Romans,  and  an  account  of  its  virtues  appears  in 
the  Historia  Naturalis  of  Pliny  the  Elder,  who 
lived  in  Italy  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian 
era.  In  many  countries,  it  is  deemed  to  have  medi- 
cinal value.  Its  leaves,  made  into  a  poultice,  are 


60    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


PLANTAIN 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  61 

said  to  reduce  ulcers  and  tumors.  There  is  so  much 
mucilage  in  its  seeds  that  it  is  extracted  and  used 
for  papering  and  also  for  stiffening  cotton  goods. 
The  most  common  species  in  California  is  lanceo- 
lata,  from  the  shape  of  the  leaves.  It  is  a  native  of 
England.  There,  the  children  call  it  "bullies"  or 
"sodgers"  (soldiers)  and  play  a  game  knocking  off 
its  flower  heads.  Try  the  game.  Has  the  change 
of  climate  made  the  ribbed  stalk  any  more  resistant? 

Another  plant  that  crowds  its  perfect  flowers  close 
together  so  as  to  make  a  f#r-distance  appeal  is  the 
Barberry.  Human  advertisers  have  learned  by  ex- 
perimentation that  the  color  combination  which 
can  be  seen  farthest  and  clearest  is  yellow  and  black. 
Notice  the  signboards  as  you  ride  along.  The  Bar- 
berry approaches  this  combination  as  nearly  as  she 
can.  Against  her  dark,  glossy  leaves,  she  poses 
groups  of  yellow  flowers,  and  a  bird  or  a  bee  must 
be  blind  indeed  not  to  catch  the  flashed  invitation. 
In  the  individual  blossom,  the  action  of  the  stamens 
is  very  interesting.  If  a  bug  is  feeding  at  the  honey 
glands  and  hits  the  base  of  the  stamens,  as  he  is  sure 
to  do,  they  close  in  toward  the  pistil;  and  each 
anther  at  their  summits  opens  a  little  valve,  which 
is  swung  on  a  hinge,  and  empties  its  pollen.  Perhaps 
you  can  set  trie  stamens  in  motion  by  using  a  pin. 
Try  it. 

With  such  a  successful  color  advertisement,  the 


62    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

Barberry  might  have  unwelcome  visitors  who  would 
devour  her,  body  and  all.  To  guard  against  this, 
she  makes  her  leaves  tough  and  leathery,  curves 
their  edges,  and  places  a  spine  at  each  turn.  Then 
she  sets  each  leaf  close  to  the  stem  and  crowds  them 
thick  together.  Woe  to  a  hungry  cow  or  a  greedy 
goat  who  tackles  the  Barberry.  The  leaves  of  the 
Barberry  resemble  those  of  the  European  Holly  in 
shape  and  in  texture,  though  not  in  color.  Of  late 
years,  the  florists  have  commercialized  this  passing 
resemblance  by  combining  the  leaves  of  the  Bar- 
berry with  the  berries  of  the  California  Holly  for 
Christmas  decorations. 

The  fruit  of  the  Barberry  is,  as  one  would  sus- 
pect from  the  name,  a  berry,  and  it  is  as  handsome 
as  the  flower  clusters  and  the  leaves.  How  do  the 
seeds  get  carried  about?  With  such  an  armed 
base,  is  it  likely  an  animal  will  approach  them? 
The  fruit  has  given  the  genus  its  name,  Berberis, 
which  is  from  the  Arabian  for  its  berry,  Berberys. 
The  species  is  pinnata,  from  the  arrangement  of  the 
leaves.  The  fruit  is  said  to  make  good  jelly  and 
preserves,  but  it  is  somewhat  bitter.  The  Indians 
used  to  dry  it  for  winter.  They  used  the  root  also, 
making  a  yellow  dye  from  it.  In  fact,  every  part 
of  the  Barberry  can  be  commercialized  if  we  regard 
the  plant  simply  for  its  use  to  man.  If,  however, 
we  regard  it  for  the  pleasure  its  beauty  gives  us,  we 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  63 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
CHRISTMAS    BERRY 


64    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

will  find  it  one  of  the  best  hedges  our  native  Flora 
produces.  It  grows  quickly,  its  branches  cling  to- 
gether and  keep  out  intruders,  and  it  is  always  a 
joy  to  look  upon. 

Another  native  shrub  that  can  easily  be  grown  in 
our  gardens  is  the  Christmas  Berry.  It,  too,  early 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  advertising  value  of 
massing  color.  Each  small  flower  is  perfect  and 
with  its  dish  of  nectar  could  attract  a  helper;  but 
the  Christmas  Berry  blooms  in  summer  when  food 
is  plentiful,  and  then,  too,  she  towers  above  the 
ground  so  that  her  small  individual  blossom  would 
not  attract  notice  were  it  not  accompanied  by  a 
goodly  company  of  its  fellows. 

The  Christmas  Berry,  like  the  Barberry,  makes 
her  leaves  disagreeable  to  the  wandering  stock;  and 
so  she  is  left  undisturbed  to  grow  year  after  year 
until  she  often  reaches  beyond  twenty  feet.  With 
her  white  banners  in  the  heat  of  summer  and  her 
red  in  the  days  of  cold  weather,  she  ever  adds  beauty 
to  our  landscape;  and  it  is  to  be  deplored  that  many 
touring  automobilists  tear  her  apart  so  ruthlessly. 

Observe  the  calyx  in  this  plant.  See  how  narrow 
it  is  below  and  broad  above.  It  is  said  to  be  turbi- 
nate,  or  top-shaped,  with  the  apex  down.  As  the 
corolla  falls  off,  the  calyx  curves  inward  and  joins 
together -its  five  parts,  completely  enclosing  the  seed- 
case.  As  the  seeds  are  growing,  the  calyx  also 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS 


65 


grows,  a  soft  mealy  berry;  and  when  they  are  fully 
mature,  it  signals  the  glad  tidings  to  the  world  by 
donning  a  rich  cardinal 
coat.  If  you  cut  open  a 
mature  berry,  you  will 
find  that  the  center  re- 
sembles the  core  of  an 
apple  with  the  seeds 
well  protected  inside  it. 
If  you  taste  the  berry, 
you  will  find  it  sweet 
and  spicy. 

Why  does  Madame 
Christmas  Berry  take 
so  much  trouble  with 
her  seed-case?  Well, 
with  all  her  love  of 
beauty,  she  is  a  utilitarian.  She  ever  has  the  in- 
stinct that  she  must  get  her  seeds  scattered.  So 
she  wears  the  cardinal  coat  to  attract  the  eyes  of 
Mr.  Bird  as  he  wings  past.  She  hangs  each  berry 
on  a  loose  little  stem  so  that  he  can  pull  it  off  with- 
out losing  his  temper.  She  seasons  the  berry  with 
sugar  and  spice  so  that  it  will  be  palatable.  She 
puts  the  little  seeds  in  a  membraneous  case  so  that, 
if  Mr.  Bird  gobbles  his  food  whole,  the  seeds  can 
pass  through  his  digestive  system  without  being 
harmed.  It  is  claimed  by  some  botanists  that  the 


CHRISTMAS    BERRY 


66    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

seeds  of  Christmas  Berry  are  never  able  to  produce 
plants  unless  they  have  passed  through  the  alimen- 
tary canal  of  a  bird.  Others  claim  that  they  will 
grow  if  you  clean  them  when  you  pick  them.  Sup- 
pose you  investigate  and  see  what  are  the  facts  about 
these  seeds. 

The  botanical  name  of  the  Christmas  Berry, 
Heteromeles  arbutifolia,  deals  with  its  fruit  and 
leaves.  Heteromeles  indicates  that  the  fruit  is  not 
the  same  substance  throughout,  and  that  you  have 
seen  by  cutting  the  berry  and  finding  the  central 
cavity.  "Arbutifolia"  tells  that  its  leaves  are  like 
those  of  the  Arbutus  family.  "Folia,"  you  know, 
always  indicates  "leaves,"  whether  in  a  book  or  in  a 
plant.  We  commonly  call  this  plant  California 
Holly  because  its  berries  are  cardinal  for  Christ- 
mas; and  our  traditions  teach  us  that  Yuletide  deco- 
rations, to  be  conservative,  should  be  holly. 

Lately  we  have  been  reviving  the  Spanish  Cali- 
fornian  name  for  the  shrub,  Tollon.  We  pronounce 
it  correctly,  but  we  mis-spell  it.  The  early  Spanish 
pioneers  found  it  growing  in  gorges,  and  so  they 
named  it  "Tollon,"  or  gorge  berry.  The  botany  of 
the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  which  is  the 
standard  for  California,  spells  the  name  correctly; 
but  our  modern  writers  seem  to  be  too  far  away 
from  the  Spanish  days  to  remember  their  orthogra- 
phy, and  they  are  misled  by  the  Spanish  Californian 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  67 

pronunciation  of  the  letters  "11"  as  "y" ;  so  they  have 
been  writing  the  name  "Toyon."  However,  we  can 
spell  it  correctly,  just  as  we  spell  San  Jose  correctly, 
and  not  "San  Hosa." 

We  have  come  to  mis-spell  another  Spanish  plant 
name,  by  depending  upon  our  ear.  When  the  early 
Spanish  Californians  explored  the  Sacramento  Val- 
ley, they  came  to  a  river  whose  banks  were  gor- 
geously draped  in  the  autumnal  festoons  of  wild 
grape  leaves  and  fruit.  They  were  footsore  and 
thirsty.  The  acid  fruit  was  so  welcome  to  the  tired 
adventurers  that  they  named  the  stream  the  Grape 
River,  Rio  Uva.  Now,  the  Spanish  Californians 
pronounce  "v"  much  like  they  did  "b."  So  when 
they  said  "Rio  Uva,"  the  Americans  replied,  "Oh, 
yes.  Uba  River."  That  did  not  look  very  well,  so 
they  prefixed  a  "y" ;  and  so  we  have,  since  before 
the  days  of  the  famous  Dam,  the  "Yuba  River." 
So,  too,  we  have  "abalone,"  instead  of  "avalone." 
Spelling  comes  and  spelling  goes,  but  we  must  re- 
member that  the  tumbling  Yuba  River  owes  its 
name  to  the  useful  plant  that  still  beautifies  its 
banks,  the  wild  grape,  or  "la  uva." 

The  plants  already  treated  in  this  chapter  arrange 
their  blossoms  in  clusters  for  advertising  purposes, 
but  each  little  perfect  flower  swings  on  its  own  indi- 
vidual stalk.  However,  one  plant  family,  the  larg- 
est in  existence,  has  advanced  beyond  co-operation 


68    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

merely  to  attract  attention.  This  is  the  Compositae, 
which  you  know  well  either  in  your  garden  or  in 
the  wildwoods.  Its  genera  differ,  but  they  all  are 
fashioned  to  carry  on  their  life-work  co-operatively. 
Just  as  people  living  in  cities  secure  service  mors 
easily  than  those  residing  on  isolated  ranches,  sc 
does  Compositae  get  what  she  wants  by  limiting  hei 
area. 

Let  us  take  the  Seaside  Daisy.  You  see  a  yellow 
center,  surrounded  by  violet  rays.  Look  close  at  the 
center.  It  is  made  up  of  tiny  flower  tubes  crowded 
densely  together,  and  for  the  whole  mass  there  is 
but  one  circle  of  light-colored  rays  to  summon  visit- 
ors. These  rays  form  a  glorified  group  corolla,  and 
their  only  duty  is  to  advertise.  In  correlation  with 
the  group  corolla,  Compositae  has  developed  what 
may  be  considered  a  group  calyx,  as  it  performs  foi 
the  flower  head  the  duties  that  a  calyx  does  in  an 
individual  flower.  It  is  called  an  involucre  and  is 
made  up  of  many  leaflets  crowded  together.  It  is 
tough  and  not  only  protects  the  tender  members  of 
the  head  from  moisture  and  from  cold,  but  forms  a 
strong  wall  against  certain  thieving  insects  who  try 
to  cut  through  and  surreptitiously  drain  the  honey 
glands  from  below. 

In  the  center,  the  little  flowers  in  the  outside  rings 
open  first,  while  the  inner  circles  stay  tight  in  bud. 
The  stamens  ripen  while  the  pistil  is  immature,  and 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  69 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
SEASIDE   DAISY 


70    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

the  anthers  discharge  their  pollen  inside  their  floral 
tube.  Then  the  pistil  grows  up  quickly  and  pushes 
this  pollen  outside  the  floret.  You  have  seen  the 
golden  dust  loose  on  top  for  any  one  to  pick  up. 
Mr.  Bee  in  passing  the  outer  circles  gets  some  pol- 
len on  him  and  carries  it  to  some  stigma  in  the  right 
stage  to  receive  it.  Should  the  unexpected  happen, 
and  no  insect  visit  the  Daisy,  she  would  still  make* 
seed.  Her  inner  circles  will  be  sending  out  theii 
pollen  when  the  outer  stigmas  are  ready  to  seize  it, 
and  some  powder  must  reach  them. 

Before  the  flower  head  is  ripe,  pull  out  one  of  the 
florets  and  examine  its  calyx.  Its  base  is  annexed 
firmly  to  the  bottom  of  the  pistil.  Its  top  is  dis- 
sected into  numerous  silky  bristles.  These  are  the 
"pappus,"  which  remain  on  the  head  when  the 
corolla  fades  and  which  float  the  ripe  seeds  into  the 
air.  Probably  you  have  blown  at  them  to  "tell  your 
fortune"  by  the  number  left  on  the  head. 

"Pappus"  is  derived  from  the  word  for  "Grand- 
father," and  refers  to  the  appearance  of  age  of  the 
white  silky  hairs.  The  name  of  the  genus  of  this 
Daisy,  Erigeron,  refers  to  this  pappus.  It  is  from 
two  Greek  words,  "spring"  and  "old  man."  Many 
people  with  no  knowledge  of  the  Classics  commonly 
call  the  plant  "the  old  man  of  spring,"  so  it  must  be 
a  fitting  title.  The  species,  glaucus,  means  "covered 
with  white  bloom  that  easily  rubs  off."  Pass  your 


SOME  GROUPED  FLOWERS  71 

fingers  along  the  plant,  and  you  will  see  that  this 
name,  too,  is  truly  descriptive. 


72    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


CHAPTER  V. 

SOME  FLOWERS  THAT  LIKE   HIGH  ALTITUDES. 

Public  opinion  has  always  esteemed  a  love  of 
flowers  a  feminine  quality,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
all  the  world  botanists  have  been  men.  In  the  past, 
only  man  could  venture  into  new  regions  and  ex- 
plore unknown  heights,  for  woman's  place  was  in 
the  haunts  of  home.  So  men  discovered  new  plants 
and  named  them  and  described  them.  This  mascu- 
line description  is  probably  the  foundation  for  many 
of  the  mistakes  in  the  color  of  flowers  as  set  down 
in  botanies.  Few  men,  not  artists,  see  the  difference 
in  hues  and  shades  and  tints  as  women  do.  This 
defect  in  the  color  education  of  men — as  well  as  the 
fact  that  many  plants  have  been  described  from 
dried  specimens,  whose  color  is  quite  unlike  the 
fresh  beauty — has  often  led  astray  amateur  botanists 

But  to-day  is  the  era  of  the  amateur  botanist  as 
well  as  of  the  amateur  in  every  other  line.  Women 
now  find  themselves  free  to  tramp  anywhere  their 
brothers  may.  They  invade  the  most  remote  wilds 
and  eagerly  examine  the  flora  in  its  native  soil. 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     73 

Their  written  descriptions  of  plants*  have  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  average  citizen  books  more  intelli- 
ble  to  him  than  those  written  by  men,  probably  be- 
cause the  unscientific  eye  is  most  quickly  attracted 
by  the  color  of  the  blossom. 

The  heyday  of  blossomtide  in  the  Sierras  lies  be- 
tween the  middle  of  July  and  the  middle  of  August. 
The  wise  old  mountains  have  learned  that  they  have 
only  three  months  free  from  their  snowy  blanket, 
and  they  respond  to  every  ray  of  the  sun  with  a 
plant  that  joys  through  its  whole  life  history  in  an 
accelerated  beauty.  Nothing  seems  listless.  The 
plants  which  at  the  Coast  produce  inconspicuous 
seeds  here  wave  a  bright  scarlet  or  cardinal  pod 
Along  our  whole  Eastern  Range,  the  season  is  about 
the  same,  although  the  varieties  of  flowers  may 
differ.  In  the  Lake  Tahoe  Forest  Reserve,  one  gets 
a  representative  collection  of  Sierran  plants  with 
only  a  healthful  amount  of  mountain  climbing. 

From  the  Tahoe  level  of  6,200  to  the  10,000  fool 
summits,  one  finds  a  varying  array.  First,  one  is 
impressed  by  the  aspiring  sisters  of  the  blossoms  that 
gladdened  the  Coast  in  the  spring  days  of  March 
and  April;  and  then  by  the  new  flowers  that  never 
descend  to  the  lower  levels.  In  the  upper  regions 

*Miss  Parsons:  "Wild  Flowers  of  California "  and  Mrs.  Dana- 
Parsons:  "How  to  Know  Wild  Flowers",  both  based  on  color  classi- 
fications, have  made  many  people  acquainted  with  the  wild  flowers. 


74    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

the  white  Forgetmenot,  the  Buttercup,  and  the 
golden  Brodiecea  are  small  and  scrawny  as  if  worn 
out  by  long  travels  from  the  sea.  The  yellow  Violet 
is  a  wood  dweller,  pallid  and  shrinking  in  compari- 
son with  the  glowing  Johnny-Jump-Up.  The  blue 
and  the  white  Violet  are  smaller  and  more  delicate. 
The  Squaw  Grass  is  a  poor  diminutive  of  the  beau- 
tiful plume  that  waves  on  Mount  Tamalpais.  But 
that  ends  the  list  of  blossoms  that  grow  less  beautiful 
with  ascent. 

The  Columbines  are  glorified  sisters  of  the  Coast 
beauties,  and  crowd  so  closely  over  every  sunny  hill- 
side that  they  tint  the  slopes  red.  The  Castilleja 
bursts  into  every  shade  and  tint  of  red  and  yellow 
that  man  ever  dreamed  of,  and  the  color  bracts  are 
longer  and  more  plentiful.  The  Star  of  Bethlehem 
and  the  Breath  of  Heaven  expand  in  the  higher 
altitude,  and  the  False  Solomon's  Seal  and  its  sister 
Smilacena  are  as  common  as  the  Buttercups  at  the 
Coast.  The  Hound's  Tongue  is  an  irradiated  devel- 
opment, seeming  flecks  of  sun-kissed  sky  scattered 
through  the  woodlands.  The  Lupine  family  is  well 
represented,  and  is  as  well  equipped  for  securing 
insect  aid  as  any  of  the  species.  One  exquisite  crea- 
ture in  iridescent  lavender  displays  a  keel  of  purest 
gold  to  lure  the  giddy  fly.  When  she  has  accom- 
plished her  purpose  and  received  pollen,  from  an- 
other blossom,  she  changes  her  brilliant  keel  to 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     75 


darkest  purple;  but,  whether  in  lavender  and  gold 
or  in  lavender  and  purple,  she  is  one  of  the  loveliest 
of  her  family. 

The  most  beautiful  Brodiaea  above  the  Tahoe 
level  is  a  white  so  pure  that  it  seems  the  very  soul  of 
whiteness.  Most  of  the  shrubs  have  white  blossoms, 
and  the  white  is  always  a  surprise  in  its  utter  clean- 
liness. The  Ceanothus,  the  Cherry,  the  Service 
Berry,  the  Bridal  Wreath,  the  Elder,  the  Chamisso, 
the  Labrador  Tea,  all  seem  to  revere  the  mem- 
ory of  the  pure  snow  that  protects  them  for  so 
many  months  a  year  and  to  strive  to  perpetuate 
it  in  their  blossoms.  They  achieve  a  whiteness 
that  the  flowers  at  the  Coast  do  not  reach. 

One  could  go  on  in- 
definitely enumerating 
the  variations  from  the 
Coast  species,  but  the  es- 
pecially Sierran  blos- 
soms are  more  interest- 
ing. Probably  the  one 
th'at  most  interests  the 
Alpine  visitor  is  the 
Snow  Plant.  This  is  one 
radiant  cardinal  glow 
from  root  to  bell-rim- 
med crown,  symbolic  of 
••••••• 

SNOW   PLANT 


76    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

intense  vitality.  It  does  not  grow  out  of  the  snow, 
as  poets  are  wont  to  picture  it,  but  springs  from  the 
brown  piney  earth  after  the  snow  has  melted.  Some- 
times snow  is  all  around  the  exposed  ground,  and 
this  may  have  given  the  artist  his  color  contrast,  and 
he  failed  to  notice  that  the  spot  from  which  the 
Snow  Plant  rose  was  free  of  white.  Snow  Plant 
plans  her  growing  in  the  fall,  with  new  little  plants 
all  ready  to  come  up  when  instinct  tells  them  that 
the  sun  reaches  the  ground. 

The  Snow  Plant  loves  bright  color  and  disdains 
to  wear  green  leaves  and  prosaic  brown  stems.  It 
tinges  its  whole  body  red:  the  fleshy  simple  stem, 
the  bracts  which  it  substitutes  for  leaves,  the  bells 
which  are  its  blossoms,  and  the  fruit  it  produces,  all 
red,  except  sometimes  whitish  at  the  base  and  root. 
People  not  knowing  the  plant  often  pick  it  up  when 
it  is  simply  a  column  of  red  bracts  wrapped  around 
the  unawakened  flowers.  It  is  not  at  all  beautiful  in 
that  stage  and  gives  no  idea  of  its  shapeliness  in 
maturity.  If  left  unhandled,  it  really  becomes  beau- 
tiful, and  it  is  interesting  in  its  development. 

If  one  watches  its  haunt,  some  day  you  see  a  push- 
ing up  of  the  brown  earth  in  a  little  heap.  From 
this,  soon  peeps  a  pale  red  tip.  This  comes  out  far- 
ther, showing  some  tightly  wrapped  bracts.  It 
grows  taller,  displaying  more  and  more  bracts  with 
each  inch  of  height.  Finally,  its  full  length  is  ex- 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     77 

posed,  the  part  next  the  brown  earth  swelling  out 
for  a  good  base.  The  lower  part  may  remain 
whitish  or  pale  red;  but  from  a  few  inches  above 
the  ground,  it  grows  more  vivid  each  day.  As  the 
bracts  deepen  in  color,  they  loosen  their  tight  hold 
on  the  fleshy  stem,  and  from  between  them  rise  sym- 
metrical bells  one  after  another  around  the  stem 
until  they  reach  the  summit.  The  fleshiness  of  the 
structure  keeps  it  from  wilting,  so  that  when  the 
topmost  bells  are  ringing  the  lowest  ones  are  still 
fresh.  Then  the  Snow  Plant  is  truly  beautiful.  The 
individuals  vary  in  the  intensity  of  their  red,  but 
they  all  have  a  sort  of  scintillation,  as  if  diamond 
dust  had  been  mixed  in  their  structure.  Never, 
never,  pick  one  until  it  hangs  out  its  bells  to  its 
very  apex,  and  then  you  will  be  rewarded  for  your 
self-control.  Because  the  ruthless  or  the  heedless 
gather  the  immature  plant,  leaving  no  opportunity 
for  seed-making,  the  Federal  Government  has  im- 
posed a  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  picking  a 
Snow  Plant  in  the  National  Parks. 

If  the  Snow  Plant  is  left  alone,  it  can  propagate 
its  kind  successfully.  Its  bells  are  constructed  to 
make  insects  work  for  its  purpose  when  once  they 
enter  them.  And  there  is  no  doubt  they  will  come, 
with  the  bright  glow  and  the  luster  catching  every 
ray  of  sunshine  that  dips  under  the  trees  and  reflect- 
ing it  into  the  eye  of  each  passing  winged  creature. 


78     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


The  Snow  Plant's  calyx  holds  fast  to  the  seed- 
case  and  forms  a  roundish  nut,  with  the  filament 
hanging  out  of  the  center.  As  soon  as  the  flowers 
are  fertilized,  the  Snow  Plant  loses  its  sparkle  and 
its  red  becomes  a  darker  shade,  but  the  red  persists 
even  after  the  plant  is  dried. 

The  botanical  name  describes  the  appearance  of 
the   plant — Sarcodes,   the   Greek   for   "fleshy,"    and 
sanguinea,  from  the  Latin  for  "blood."    The  Span- 
ish   Californians    called    it   Sangre    de    Cristo,    the 
"blood    of    Christ."      They    evidently    believed,    as 
many   people   do   today,    that   the   red   flower    rises 
directly   from   the   white   snow,    and   they   saw   the 
appropriate      compari- 
son    of    the    magic    of 
Christ's    blood    making 
the  world  pure. 

A  Sierran  plant  that 
announces  the  Spring 
earlier  than  does  the 
S  n  o  w  P  1  a  n  t  is  the  j 
Anemone.  O  n  e  d  a  y 
you  gaze  at  a  bank  of 
snow  on  a  sunny  hill- 
slope.  It  is  shining 
white,  but  motionless. 
The  very  next  day,  as 
as  your  eyes  linger  on  ANEMONE 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     79 

it,  you  are  startled.  It  quivers  and  has  warmer 
tints.  Then  you  realize  that  the  snow  has  been 
replaced  overnight  by  the  Anemones.  Even  though 
their  advent  is  the  same  year  after  year,  it  never 
loses  the  effect  of  magic.  The  explanation  is  sim- 
ple. The  earth  is  so  warm  that  it  melts  the  snow 
next  to  it,  making  a  cave  with  just  a  thin  crust 
between  it  and  the  sky.  The  Anemone,  eager 
for  a  glimpse  of  the  sun,  starts  her  growth  under 
this  crust,  in  this  conservatory  as  it  were;  and  the 
very  hour  the  crust  disappears,  she  flings  wide 
her  floral  banners.  In  her  haste  she  does  not 
bother  to  make  a  corolla,  but  she  tints  her  calyxes 
blue  and  lavender  and  pink  and  cream,  all  in  the 
softest  Dresden  hues,  so  that  no  insect  suspects  that 
she  is  not  wearing  a  full  outfit.  She  has  many  sta- 
mens and  a  delicate  meal  spread.  Any  early  bug  is 
well  paid  for  the  services  he  renders  her.  The 
blossoms  are  so  dainty,  waving  over  the  gray-green 
deeply-cleft  leaves  that  they  appeal  to  the  human  as 
does  the  Baby-Blue-Eyes  at  the  Coast.  The  Anem- 
one is  buoyant  with  life  only  just  after  the  snow  has 
left  her.  In  a  couple  of  weeks,  both  blossoms  and 
leaves  on  the  same  patch  grow  smaller  and  nar- 
rower. One  not  acquainted  with  their  habits  would 
think  them  a  different  plant.  But,  higher  up,  new 
Anemones  are  emerging  from  under  hollow  snow, 
so  that,  beginning  at  6,500  feet  in  early  June,  one 


80    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


still  enjoys  their  loveliness  in  the  middle  of  July  at 
8,000. 

The  name  Anemone  is  from  the  Greek,  meaning 
"Wind  Flower"  because  the  blossom  likes  exposed 
ledges.  Drummondii  is  after  a  Scotch  botanist  who 
collected  our  mountain  flowers. 

Another  beautiful  blossom  that  is  a  native  of  our 

mountains  is  the  Sierra 
Primrose.  It  does  not 
come  lower  than  7,500 
feet  and  probably  climbs 
a  thousand  feet  higher. 
Shortly  after  the  snow 
vanishes,  it  appears  on 
slopes  that  are  partially 
rocky  but  not  too  much 
exposed  to  wind.  If  Mrs. 
Primrose  were  not  prov- 
ident, she  would  have  a 
very  short  life.  The 
Sierran  sun  seems  con- 
centrated  heat  as  it 
pours  on  these  cliffs  and 

is  reflected  from  them.  It  would  surely  frizzle 
her  up  were  the  plant  as  delicate  as  the  charm- 
ing blossom  appears.  But  Mrs.  Primrose  is  pre- 
pared .for  this  blazing  sun.  Her  stems  are  thick 
and  woody;  and,  instead  of  standing  erect,  they 


SIERRA    PRIMROSE 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      81 

creep  along  the  ground  under  bunches  of  leaves 
crowded  so  thickly  that  they  make  a  permanent 
shade.  No  matter  at  what  angle  the  sun  darts  its 
rays,  they  do  not  reach  that  stem  nor  diminish  its 
store  of  food  and  drink  stored  up  for  the  plant's 
summer  sustenance.  The  leaves  are  thick  to  hold 
their  moisture  and  narrow  not  to  present  too  much 
surface  to  the  sun,  and  on  the  angle  of  each  leaf  is 
a  sharp  tooth  to  pierce  the  tongue  of  any  marauding 
animal.  With  such  an  excellent  foundation,  Mrs. 
Primrose  can  well  support  her  seed-making  parts. 

She  raises  them  upon  a  slender  stalk  and  groups 
them  together  at  the  top.  All  the  flowers  do  not 
come  out  at  once,  but  the  lower  ones  first,  just  as  in 
our  cultivated  primrose  or  cowslip.  Her  petals  are 
a  deep  rose,  with  a  yellow  center.  Sometimes  a 
wine  color  ring  outlines  this  yellow;  and  with  the 
pale  stamens  enclosed,  it  gives  you  the  impression 
of  an  eye  looking  straight  at  you,  an  eye  friendly 
and  yet  appealing,  so  that  you  instantly  fall  in  love 
with  the  flower  and  spontaneously  quote  Words- 
worth. 

However,  Mrs.  Primrose  does  not  care  for  human 
impressions.  She  is  set  on  captivating  the  bug's 
fancy.  She  succeeds  because  his  taste  in  color  and 
form  is  the  same  as  ours.  She  is  very  careful  of  her 
seed-making  organs.  As  the  sun  goes  down,  she 
furls  her  petals  tight  around  them,  to  open  again 


82    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

when  brightness  and  warmth  returns.  She  unfolds 
her  buds  very  gradually,  so  that  a  single  stalk  of 
Primrose  in  a  glass  of  water  will  keep  sending  out 
fresh  blooms  for  three  weeks. 

This  is  the  only  native  Primrose  we  have  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  botanical  name,  Primula,  is  from  the 
Latin  primus,  meaning  "first,"  referring  to  its  early 
blooming  after  the  snow's  departure.  "Suffrute- 
scens"  is  also  Latin,  and  indicates  that  the  plant  has 
woody  stems  at  its  base. 

Two  alpine  plants  that  seek  the  same  altitude  as 
the  Primrose,  though  they  prefer  more  moist  loca- 
tions, are  the  heathers,  the  white  and  the  so-called 
purple.  This  last  evidently  was  named  from  a  dried 
specimen,  as  its  blossoms  are  decidedly  not  purple. 
They  are  a  bright  magenta  when  fresh,  before  fer- 
tilization. While  both  heathers  belong  to  the  Heath 
Family — that  clan  of  such  wondrous  beauty  as  the 
Snow  Plant,  the  Pyrola,  the  Rhododendron,  the 
Madrono,  the  Manzanita — they  differ  in  appear- 
ance from  each  other.  Both  are  evergreens,  both 
cling  close  to  the  warm  bosom  of  Mother  Earth, 
and  both  grow  woody  stems  so  as  to  conserve  food 
for  the  plant;  but  there,  as  far  as  the  untrained  eye 
is  concerned,  the  resemblance  ends. 

The  White  Heather  presses  its  leaves  close  to  the 
stem,  .in  rows  of  four,  and  overlaps  the  lower  upon 
the  upper,  for  all  the  world  as  the  Cedar  does.  In 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      83 


fact,  the  stems  look  like  little  twigs  of  Cedar.  You 
can  readily  see  that  White  Heather  is  exposing  just 
as  little  as  possible  of  her  leaf  surface  to  the  Sie/ran 
sunshine.  To  counter- 
part her  stubby  leaves, 
she  hangs  above  them 
the  most  graceful  blos- 
soms, each  a  pure  white 
perfect  bell,  with  five 
reddish  sepals  symmetri- 
cally arranged  around 
its  base.  A  bed  of 
White  Heather  suggests 
a  summer  camp  of  the 
fairies,  with  the  snowy 
chimes  resounding  a 
welcome  to  the  concord 
of  Nature.  And  with 
fairies  come  the  other 

wee  folk,  who  crawl  into  Mrs.  White  Heather's  bell 
and  pay  the  dues  for  her  hospitality. 

White  Heather  is  named  Gassiope,  for  a  favorite 
in  Greek  mythology,  the  same  lady  whose  memory  is 
honored  by  the  constellation  Cassiopeia's  Chair. 
Mertensiana,  the  species,  is  for  a  German  professor, 
Franz  Karl  Mertens,  who  won  renown  in  the  study 
of  plants. 

Magenta  Heather  also  crowds  her  small  green 


WHITE  HEATHER 


84    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


leaves,  but  she  holds  each  one  out  at  an  angle  from 
the  stem.  The  twigs  of  this  evergreen  suggest  a 
miniature  pine-tree  at  first  glance,  but,  of  course, 
the  leaves  are  not  needles  in  a  sheath.  Mrs.  Ma- 
genta Heather  forms  her  blossoms  like  saucers  and 
crowds  them  together  on  the  top  of  the  stems.  She 
hangs  the  stamens  quite  prominently  outside  the 

corolla,  and  nothing 
can  pass  her  flower 
cluster  without  knock- 
i  n  g  t  h  e  1  i  1 1 1  e  an- 
thers. The  style  also 
protrudes,  and  it  re- 
mains on  the  seed-case 
after  the  seeds  are  ma- 
ture. 

Magenta  Heather  is 
sometimes  called  Bryan- 
thus,  because  of  traits 
similar  to  those  of  the 
mosses.  The  botanical 
name  of  the  genus  is 

MAGENTA  HEATHER  & 

Phyllodoce,  from  the 

Greek  explaining  the  structure  of  its  leaves.  The 
species  is  Breweri,  in  honor  of  William  H.  Brewer, 
a  botanist,  who  collected  California  wild  flowers 
from.  1860  to  1865.  He  was  the  first  to  collect  scien- 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      85 

tifically  in  our  Sierras,  so  it  is  fitting  that  this  un- 
usual evergreen  should  hold  his  name. 

Another  member  of  the  Heath  family  which  likes 
the  mountains  is  Ledum  glandulosum,  or  Labrador 
Tea.  It  is  a  beautiful  evergreen  shrub,  with  rigid 
reddish  brown  branches  which  often  are  covered 
with  a  rust-colored  dust.  The  glossy  leathery  leaves 
make  a  fine  color  contrast  as  they  crowd  closely 
around  the  stem.  It  is  only  the  upper  surface  of  the 
leaf  that  is  dark  green  and  shining,  but  it  curves  its 
edges  back  so  that  the  under  side  is  well  hidden  and 
only  the  upper  catches  the  eye.  There  is  an  object  in 
this  rolling  of  edges.  The  under  side  of  the  leaf  is 
a  pale  green,  not  strong-looking  like  the  top,  but  it 
is  dotted  over  with  glands  that  manufacture  an  aro- 
matic resin.  It  would  never  do  to  expose  these 
glands  to  the  mountain  sunshine,  so  Ledum  turns  her 
leaf  edges  over  as  a  protective  awning.  Each  leaf 
terminates  in  a  sharp  little  point,  but  it  is  too  soft 
to  hurt  any  mouth  that  might  attack  it.  Ledum 
depends  upon  her  taste  to  discourage  animals  from 
devouring  her. 

The  blossoms  are  a  pure  white  and  are  clustered 
at  the  top  of  the  stem.  The  stamens  hang  out  past 
the  petals,  and  the  style  also  is  long.  Any  creature, 
winging  its  way  past  and  hovering  a  moment  above 
the  Ledum,  will  be  tempted  and  help  her  in  her 
seed-making. 


86    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


The  name,  Ledum,  is  the  ancient  Latin  for  this 
genus.  Glandulosum,  one  can  see,  is  a  description 
of  the  leaf's  activity.  If  you  crush  a  leaf,  the  air  is 
instantly  aromatic  with  turpentine;  and,  if  you  taste 

it,  the  flavor  is  that  of 
pure  turpentine.  It  is 
said  that  the  shrub  poi- 
sons sheep,  but  I  have 
my  suspicions  that  it  is 
one  of  the  few  plants 
they  dislike  and  do  not 
destroy.  The  common 
name,  Labrador  Tea, 
comes  from  the  Atlan- 
tic member  of  the  fam- 
ily, Ledum  palustre, 
whose  leaves  are  used 
as  a  beverage.  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  his  party, 
in  their  Arctic  Expedi- 
tion of  1819-1822,  made  a  tea  of  the  leaves,  which 
they  found  reviving  in  the  polar  cold.  They  re- 
ported that  it  had  the  taste  and  fragrance  of  rhu- 
barb, so  its  glands  must  make  a  product  different 
from  that  which  our  native  species  manufactures. 

A  Sierran  plant  that  seems  to  be  in  the  process  of 
changing  the  form  of  her  corolla  is  the  Gentian 
In  joining  her  five  petals  together  into  a  funnel,  she 


LABRADOR    TEA 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     87 


GENTIAN 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 


88    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

seems  to  have  found  that  each  petal  is  too  broad. 
She  does  not  wish  to  trim  them  off  nor  yet  to  spread 
them  out  and  leave  an  easy  entrance  for  visitors;  so 
she  plaits  the  extra  material  into  folds  until  each 
lobe  stands  out  distinctly,  just  as  a  dressmaker  plaits 
extra  material  into  folds  to  make  a  skirt  hang  prop- 
erly. Perhaps  in  the  coming  centuries,  Gentian 
will  absorb  these  folds,  or  perhaps  she  will  modify 
them  into  some  fantastic  form;  but  at  present  she 
seems  proud  of  them  and  calls  attention  to  them  b\ 
waving  on  their  tops  several  slender  bristles.  Of 
course,  these  little  appendages  stir  in  each  breath  of 
air  and  catch  the  eye  of  the  butterfly. 

Being  overgenerous  in  corolla  cloth,  Gentian 
economizes  in  other  lines.  She  has  a  very  short 
style,  so  that  the  two  spreading  lobes  of  the  stigma 
are  closely  annexed  to  the  ovary.  You  generally  see 
small  bugs  around  the  Gentian.  Probably  she  con- 
cocts a  special  dish  to  their  liking  so  that  they  will 
creep  down  her  tube  to  the  waiting  stigma.  The 
five  stamens,  too,  have  comparatively  short  fila- 
ments, their  heads  not  coming  to  the  top  of  the 
corolla.  The  filaments  are  joined  to  the  petals  just 
at  the  bottom  of  the  folds.  An  insect,  in  passing 
down  the  plaits  or  in  returning  up  them,  will  be 
sure  to  wriggle  enough  to  disturb  the  stamens  and 
have  the  anthers  empty  their  contents  on  him. 

Because  Gentian  blooms  late  in  August  and  in 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     89 

September,  she  has  to  see  that  her  seeds  are  well 
protected  from  an  early  cold  snap.  When  fertiliza- 
tion is  completed,  she  does  not  cast  aside  the  corolla, 
but  wraps  it  around  the  seed-case.  She  changes  her 
blue  to  a  purple,  and  then  to  an  ashy  hue,  to  warn 
insects  that  they  are  no  longer  welcome.  The  calyx, 
too,  stays  on,  so  as  to  give  extra  warmth.  The 
species  shown  here  is  called  calycosa,  because  of  the 
leaf-like  bracts  around  the  bottom  of  the  flower. 

The  Gentian  is  esteemed  a  great  treasure  by  flower 
lovers.  Its  blue  is  quite  unlike  that  of  any  blossom 
we  have  at  the  Coast.  When  you  stumble  unexpect- 
edly upon  a  Gentian  bed,  the  impression  is  of  a  bit 
of  sky  fallen  to  earth.  Do  you  think  that  blue  makes 
a  deeper  appeal  to  the  human  mind  and  heart  than 
do  other  colors?  What  tint  are  the  flowers  we  re- 
gard with  most  tenderness?  What  of  blue  in  our 
paintings  of  religious  subjects?  Is  Judas  ever  de- 
picted wearing  the  color  of  the  Heavens? 

The  Gentian  was  named  for  King  Gentius  of 
Illyria,  that  eastern  borderland  of  the  Adriatic 
whose  history  spells  romance  right  down  to  this 
hour.  Gentius  was  something  of  a  practicing  physi- 
cian, and  he  made  known  the  curative  qualities  of 
the  root  of  the  plant.  Even  today  the  essence  of  the 
Gentian  is  used  in  medicine. 

Another  Sierran  plant  that  seems  to  be  in  the 
era  of  changing  its  parts  is  the  Pentstemon.  Any 


90    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


schoolboy  who  has  drawn  a  pentagon  will  guess  that 
"pentstemon"  means  "five  stamens."  Well,  that  is 
what  the  word  does  mean;  but  look  in  the  blossom 
and  count  the  stamens  bearing  anthers  on  their  tops. 
You  see  there  are  but  four. 

In  the  ancient  days,  long  before  this  genus  was 

named,  the  flower  prob- 
ably did  have  five  sta- 
mens; but  it  evidently 
concluded  that  four 
with  good  healthy  an- 
thers could  work  to  bet- 
ter advantage  than  five 
in  the  crowded  quarters 
of  its  throat.  So  it  is 
transforming  that  fifth 
stamen  into  something 
else  —  something  more 
beautiful  and  quite  as 
useful.  The  plant,  for 
all  its  artistic  taste  in 
form  and  texture  and 
color,  has  a  very  practical  trait.  It  will  not  endure 
a  useless  part.  If  there  be  no  work  for  an  organ, 
it  evolves  it  into  something  that  can  do  work  or 
else  it  devolves  it  out  of  existence.  Examine  the 
throat  of  the  Pentstemon.  The  four  regular  stamens 
bend  a  little  at  their  base,  but  stand  up  straight  as 


PENTSTEMON 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      91 

they  approach  the  light.  From  behind  them,  see,  a 
filament  rises  straight  up.  That  was  originally  the 
fifth  stamen,  but  see  how  much  more  showy  is  the 
beard  it  now  wears  than  are  the  anthers  the  other 
stamens  carry.  It  projects  this  beard  just  to  attract 
insects.  When  they  arrive,  down  they  go  into  the 
funnel,  stumbling  against  the  stamens  in  such  nar- 
row quarters  and  receiving  their  meed  of  pollen. 

The  Pentstemon  here  pictured  is  the  Newberryi, 
sometimes  called  the  Pride  of  the  Mountains.  It  is 
a  rugged  perennial,  growing  low  in  height  but 
spreading  its  woody  stems  in  every  direction.  It 
does  not  seem  to  need  good  soil,  for  it  creeps  any- 
where over  the  granite  cliffs,  sometimes  on  their  tops, 
sometimes  filling  side  crevices  which  cannot  possibly 
contain  much  ground.  It  does  not  disdain  the  earth, 
for  it  flourishes  at  the  foot  of  cliffs  where  the  pine 
needles  and  the  disintegrated  granite,  uniting  for 
ages,  form  a  rich  mold.  Its  blossoms  are  a  rich 
crimson;  and,  flung  against  the  grey  rocks,  it  makes 
a  striking  color  contrast  that  is  appreciated  not  only 
by  man  but  by  bird  and  bug. 

The  anthers  and  the  beard  of  the  projecting  fila- 
ment of  the  fifth  stamen  are  covered  with  a  dense 
wool  which  shows  any  hungry  creature  the  path 
to  the  dining  hall.  This  wool  grows  cinerous,  or 
ash-colored,  as  the  blossom  ages.  The  leaves  of  this 
Pentstemon  are  leathery,  a  dark  green,  with  toothed 


92    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

edge.  They  form  an  effective  background  for  the 
crimson  blossoms. 

Under  cultivation,  the  Pentstemon  enhances  its 
beauty,  increasing  in  size  and  softening  its  texture, 
while  losing  none  of  its  ability  to  choose  brilliant 
color.  Its  common  name  is  Beard-Tongue,  from 
that  changing  fifth  stamen.  It  is  this  organ  that 
gives  it  the  botanical  name,  as  the  ancient  scientists 
wished  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  it  was  present. 
Newberryi  is  in  honor  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  who 
was  a  member  of  Lieutenant  Williamson's  party 
that  made  one  of  the  first  surveys  of  California,  be- 
ginning in  1853.  All  these  Government  surveying 
parties  had  among  their  number  botanists  who  col- 
lected the  new  plants  and  introduced  them  to  the 
world  of  Science. 

A  close  relative  of  the  Pentstemon  is  the  Mimu- 
lus,  they  both  being  members  of  the  Scrophularia- 
ceae  or  Figwort  Family.  The  Pink  Mimulus  is  one 
of  the  lovely  flowers  of  the  high  Sierras.  Its  pale 
green  foliage  and  rather  weak  stems  crowned  by 
its  exquisite  rose  pink  blossoms  give  the  impression 
that  it  is  an  escape  from  the  conservatory.  On  first 
acquaintance,  one  marvels  that  such  a  delicate  crea- 
ture can  live  under  such  extremes  of  climate.  With 
a  longer  observation,  one  sees  that  this  delicacy 
is  only  in  appearance.  Pink  Mimulus  is  really 
abounding  in  vigor.  It  sends  out  its  first  blossoms 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     93 

in  late  July  in  some  shaded  nook  on  a  creek  bank. 
Then,  as  the  water  recedes  into  a  narrow  channel 
and  exposes  a  rocky  bed  along  its  course,  as  all  Cali- 
fornia streams  do  in  summer,  Pink  Mimulus  springs 
up  overnight  among  the  newly  uncovered  rocks.  Of 
course,  there  must  be  soil  among  the  stones,  rich 
surface  soil  brought  down  by  the  stream  and  depos- 
ited in  the  sluggish  turn;  the  water  is  probably  near 
the  undersurface;  the  Sierran  sun  pouring  on  the 
bare  boulders  raises  the  temperature;  so  it  really 
is  an  ideal  forcing  bed  for  Pink  Mimulus;  but  the 
place  looks  so  barren  and  she  looks  so  delicate  that 
you  doubt  your  eyes  and  have  to  reason  out  the  con- 
ditions that  make  it  possible  for  her  to  thrive  there. 
Thrive  there  she  does  and  increases  her  race.  Even 
after  the  late  September  frosts,  even  until  the  Octo- 
ber snows,  you  can  pick  some  Pink  Mimulus  on  the 
emerged  creek  bed ;  and  the  more  you  pick,  the  more 
she  rushes  out  to  fulfill  her  duty  before  winter  over- 
takes her. 

The  calyx  of  Pink  Mimulus  is  said  to  be  pris- 
matic because  it  has  five  flat  faces  joined  together 
by  five  angles.  Each 'face  terminates  in  a  tooth 
pointing  upward.  The  calyx  remains  on  after  the 
corolla  falls  away.  The  calyx,  as  well  as  the  stem 
and  leaf,  are  furnished  with  little  hairs  to  keep  the 
plant  warm. 

The  lovely  corolla  is  in  two  lips,  not  very  differ- 


94    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

ent  in  size,  but  the  upper  with  two  lobes  curving 
backward  and  the  lower  with  three  spreading  out. 
Each  lobe  has  flecks  or  lines,  or  both,  of  darker 
rose  or  sometimes  crimson.  The  lower  lip  has 
stripes  of  pure  gold  or  paler  yellow,  with  hairy 
ridges,  to  show  the  way  to  the  honey  dishes.  Inside 
the  corolla  are  the  four  stamens  standing  in  pairs 
with  their  anthers  ready  to  discharge  the  pollen  on 
any  visitor.  The  pistil  has  a  stigma  that  acts  in  a 
peculiar  way.  It  spreads  out  two  flat  surfaces,  white 
and  sticky,  one  to  either  side.  If  a  grain  of  pollen 
touches  it,  the  two  parts  come  together  mechani- 
cally, closing  tight  while  the  pollen  gets  down  to 
the  ovules.  You  can  watch  it  work  by  touching  the 
lobe  with  a  pin. 

The  Pink  Mimulus  is  Mimulus  Lewisii  in  bot- 
any. Mimulus  is  from  the  Latin  for  "comic  actor,'' 
because  the  genus  seems  to  present  a  mimicking  face. 
From  this  fact,  many  of  our  species  are  commonly 
known  as  the  "Monkey  Flower."  Lewisii  is  for 
Captain  Meriweather  Lewis  of  the  United  States 
Army  who,  with  Captain  William  Clark,  in  1803-6, 
journeyed  from  the  Mississippi  across  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  down  the  Columbia  River  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  the  first  white  men  to  make  this 
arduous  trip.  It  is  on  the  results  of  their  expedi- 
tion that  the  United  States  based  our  claims  to  the 
Oregon  Territory.  Great  Britain  acknowledged  the 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES     95 

justice  of  the  claim;  and  so,  through  a  scientific  ex- 
pedition, we  acquired  that  great  Northwest  without 
shedding  one  drop  of  blood.  Captains  Lewis  and 
Clark  described  all  the  animals  and  plants  they 
came  across.  In  the  mountains  of  Montana,  they 
first  viewed  Pink  Mimulus.  Later,  botanists  named 
the  species  for  the  intrepid  soldier.  Our  Mimulus 
Leunsii  seems  to  be  living  up  to  her  title,  cheerfully 
overcoming  all  obstacles  to  perform  her  duty. 

One  of  the  beautiful  flowers  of  the  high  Sierras 
that  comes  after  mid- 
summer is  the  Alpine 
Lily.  Its  blossoms  are 
perfect  bells,  formed  by 
the  three  sepals  and  the 
three  petals  being 
shaped  and  shaded  ex- 
actly the  same.  The  in- 
dividual flowers  are  not 
large,  but  so  many  of 
them  branch  out  on 
either  side  of  the  same 
stem  that  they  give  the 
impression  of  great 
bloom.  The  botany  of  ALpmE 

the   United    States    Geo- 
logical   Survey    reports    from   two   to   fifty   flowers 


96    AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

on  the  same  stalk,  but  the  happy  medium  is  more 
often  found. 

The  buds  of  Alpine  Lily  have  the  tips  of  the  seg- 
ments meeting  together.  As  the  sun  warms  them, 
the  sides  swell  out  a  little;  then,  just  below  the  top, 
they  split  apart;  this  split  proceeds  upward,  until 
finally  the  tips  separate;  then  the  upper  part  of  the 
segment  curves  backward,  while  the  rest  of  the 
perianth  remains  funnel-shaped.  The  bud  is  rather 
pale,  and  the  outside  of  the  perianth  never  gains  the 
rich  glow  of  the  interior.  That  is  a  gorgeous  vel- 
vety orange  or  reddish  orange  or  burnt  orange,  with 
spots  and  veins  of  wine  and  maroon  and  brown.  At 
the  base,  each  segment  is  stained  with  its  wealth  of 
nectar,  and  down  the  segment  from  tip  to  base  runs 
a  "nectariferous  groove"  to  direct  the  visitors.  The 
six  stamens  rise  above  the  curve  of  the  perianth,  and 
the  anthers  sway  loosely  on  their  tops.  The  style  is 
long  and  its  stigma  spreads  into  three  lobes.  The 
hummingbird  and  the  butterfly  find  it  a  pleasant 
place  to  call ;  and  for  their  entertainment  they  repay 
Alpine  Lily  by  carrying  pollen  to  the  next  blossom. 
The  capsule  has  three  cells  and  in  it  are  ripened 
many  little  seeds.  Alpine  Lily  holds  her  three- 
cornered  seed-case  up  straighter  than  she  does  her 
blooms.  She  knows  that  the  hummingbird  and  the 
butterfly  have  a  purpose  of  their  own  in  seeking  her 
company  and  that  they  will  find  her  bell  at  whatever 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      97 

angle  it  droops.  But  the  wind  is  another  thing.  It 
has  no  purpose  in  helping  her  distribute  her  seeds. 
It  is  unaware  of  her  existence  save  as  an  obstacle 
that  needs  a  little  energy  to  pass.  Should  the  cap- 
sule hang  in  the  lee  of  a  leaf,  it  might  hold  its  seeds 
until  it  grew  weary  and  dropped  them  right  under 
the  mother  plant.  That  would  never  do.  The  seeds 
must  be  dispersed  as  widely  as  possible  so  that  the 
new  plants  will  have  little  competition. 

These  seeds  need  unfrequented  places  to  settle  in. 
It  takes  several  years  for  lily  seed  to  develop  into  a 
bulb  from  which  grows  the  flower  stalk.  For  some 
years,  it  sends  up  leaves  just  above  the  ground,  vary- 
ing their  shapes  with  different  years.  During  the 
same  period,  it  is  developing  underground  towards 
a  bulb  of  short  thick-pointed  scales.  Finally,  it 
has  progressed  enough  to  produce  fruit,  and  it  joys 
upward  into  its  bloom  of  sun-tinged  bells. 

The  bulb  underground  multiplies  into  bulblets,  so 
that  the  lily  is  propagated  in  two  ways.  One  should 
never  pull  any  member  of  the  Lily  Family — Calo- 
chortus,  Fritallaria,  Brodiaea,  Zygadenus,  or  others 
of  the  beauteous  sisterhood — as  the  jerk  kills  the 
bulb.  Cut  the  lower  stalk  with  a  knife  or  shears, 
and  the  bulb  is  still  good  for  a  number  of  new 
plants. 

Alpine  Lily  is  sometimes  called  Little  Tiger  Lily 
from  its  coloring.  Its  botanical  name  is  Lilium 


98     AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

parvum.  Lilium  is  the  ancient  Latin  name  for  the 
family,  and  parvum  is  from  the  small  bulb  or  small 
flowers. 

A  lowly  sister  of  Alpine  Lily  that  springs  up  in 
the  damp  spots  in  the  Sierras  as  soon  as  the  snow 
disappears,  and  that  always  lives  in  moist  places,  is 
the  Wild  Garlic  or  Wild  Onion.  One  may  not  care 
for  its  odor,  but  the  quality  that  produces  this  same 
odor  often  gives  savor  to  many  an  otherwise  insipid 
camp  stew.  The  Wild  Onion  bulbs  had  developed 
the  year  before,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  rush  into  bloom 
with  the  first  cleared  earth.  They  wear  a  reddish 
or  a  brown  coat  for  winter  protection.  Within  the 
heavier  colored  coat  are  fitted  closely  many  veined 
layers,  so  that  the  bulb  is  said  to  be  "tunicated,"  as 
is  the  cultivated  onion.  From  the  center  of  the 
bulb  starts  the  new  plant,  pushing  up  two  green  tips 
ready  to  burst  through  the  ground  at  the  first  hail 
from  the  sunshine.  The  leaves  all  rise  from  the  top 
of  the  bulb  and  overlap  at  their  base.  As  they  grow 
in  the  air,  they  spread  out  long  and  narrow,  and 
finally  their  ends  become  threadlike  and  twist  in- 
wardly. They  take  no  chances  of  shutting  out  the 
sunshine  from  the  precious  blossom,  and  they  wither 
away  early. 

From  the  center  of  the  leaves,  there  rises  a  naked 
scape,  on  the  top  of  which  is  borne  the  numerous 
pink  flowers.  In  this  floral  envelope,  the  sepals  and 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES      99 


100  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

petals  are  exactly  alike  and  each  is  striped  deli- 
cately with  a  pinkish  brown.  The  six  stamens  are 
securely  attached  to  the  base  of  the  segments,  and 
their  anthers  do  not  extend  beyond  the  perianth. 
The  bug  must  touch  these  anthers  in  seeking  the 
nectar  dishes  below.  The  flowers  are  grouped  to- 
gether so  as  to  attract  attention.  There  are  papery 
bracts  at  the  bottom  of  the  cluster,  which  hold  the 
sunshine  around  them.  The  flowers  on  the  outside 
mature  first,  and  then  byv  gradual  turns  they  ripen 
to  the  center.  This  process  gives  a  longer  time  in 
which  to  attract  visitors. 

When  the  seed  is  formed,  the  perianth  remains 
on,  withering  into  a  papery  substance.  The  capsule 
is  three-lobed,  with  a  double  crest  on  top  of  each 
lobe.  When  the  seeds  are  ripe,  the  seed-case  begins 
at  the  top  to  split  into  three  parts,  very  slowly  be- 
cause the  cells  are  held  together  by  a  sort  of  lattice- 
work. When  a  whiff  of  air  dashes  by,  it  hits  the 
capsule,  and  the  three  distended  parts  slap  together 
and  then  rebound.  Out  go  their  top  seeds.  Then 
the  capsule  slits  down  a  little  farther,  and  the  process 
is  repeated.  If  all  the  seeds  could  be  carried  away 
by  the  first  breeze,  they  would  all  go  in  one  direc- 
tion. By  opening  the  capsule  gradually,  Wild 
Onion  catches  the  tide  of  various  directions,  and 
within  a  few  years  she  is  able  to  populate  a  wide 
acreage.  You  will  observe  this  same  habit  of  the 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTIT06E^ : 

capsule  in  your  garden  lilies,  or  in  any  wild  species 
near  you. 

The  cows  love  the  Wild  Onion.  If  at  sunset  in 
a  mountain  pass  you  meet  a  herd  returning  from  the 
day  pasturage,  their  breath  nearly  makes  you  faint. 
Quite  different  from  "the  sweet  breath  of  kine"  of 
the  poet.  The  milk  is  tainted  so  strongly  that  the 
taste  appears  even  in  biscuits  and  cakes.  There  is 
no  way  to  keep  the  cattle  in  the  Sierras  from  Wild 
Onion,  if  there  be  any  in  their  neighborhood,  except 
by  locking  them  in  a  corral.  Once  free,  they  rush 
to  it,  as  a  boy  does  to  a  fire,  and  with  more  reason. 

The  Wild  Onion  is  called  Allium  bisceptrum  by 
scientists.  Allium  is  the  ancient  Latin  name  for  the 
genus,  and  bisceptrum  describes  the  two  crests  on 
each  lobe  of  the  seed-case  that  this  species  wears. 

Another  member  of  the  Lily  family  that  seeks  the 
Sierras  is  Veratrum  californicum,  or  False  Helle- 
bore. This  tall  beauty  is  very  unlike  Alpine  Lily 
or  Wild  Onion  in  appearance;  but  it  has  their  true 
lily  traits  of  the  flower  stalk  coming  from  a  root- 
stock  of  several  years  development,  of  having  flow- 
ers with  six  segments  and  six  stamens,  and  of  ripen- 
ing a  three-celled  capsule. 

The  Veratrum  sends  up  a  stout  stalk  from  three 
to  eight  feet  high,  either  near  the  creek  bank  or  on 
a  hillside,  but  always  in  good  soil  and  never  from 
the  broken  rock  beds  in  which  so  many  Sierran 


102  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

plants  thrive.  Its  leaves  are  thickly  crowded  at  the 
base,  but  grow  singly  near  and  among  the  flower 
panicles.  Each  leaf  is  parallel-veined;  each  is  ses- 
sile, that  is,  sitting  on  the  stem;  each  forms  a  sheath 

around  the  stem,  and 
each  seems  to  have  too 
much  material,  so  Vera- 
trum  plaits  it  into  folds 
just  as  Gentian  folds  her 
petals.  With  her  large 
upward-slanting  leaves, 
a  meadow  of  Veratrum 
looks  like  a  field  of 
corn. 

The    blossoms    come 
out     in     loose     branches 
along  the  top  of  the  stem, 
the   lower   branchlets 
VERATRUM  longer    than    the    upper 

so  that  the  flower  stalk 

rising  above  the  green  base,  sometimes  to  three  feet, 
presents  the .  appearance  of  a  great  creamy  spire. 
The  individual  flowers  are  on  tiny  stems  and  crowd 
thickly  around  their  branches,  appearing  on  every 
side  so  that  no  matter  which  way  you  view  the 
Veratrum,  you  seem  to  be  looking  at  its  front  face. 
The  blossoms  are  often  two  kinds  on  one  plant,  some 
that  are  perfect  with  both  stamens  and  pistils  and 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES    103 

others  that  have  either  stamens  alone  or  pistils  alone. 
Because  it  bears  both  kinds  of  flowers  on  the  same 
plant,  Veratrum  is  said  to  be  "polygamous." 

The  perianth  is  fashioned  of  thick  material  not 
unlike  that  of  the  magnolia  flower.  If  there  has 
been  plenty  of  snow  the  previous  winter,  most  of 
the  spires  are  as  pure  a  cream  as  the  cream  cup.  If 
the  winter  has  been  "dry" — which  is  only  a  com- 
parative term  as  Veratrum  only  blooms  at  heights 
which  are  sure  to  have  some  snowfall — the  flowerets 
come  out  a  creamy  green  tint.  Either  the  more 
moisture  or  the  longer  rest  under  snow  blankets 
effects  the  color.  Of  course,  any  year,  there  are 
always  some  blossoms  that  do  not  shade  to  green. 
The  six  segments  of  the  perianth  contract  in  the 
lower  part  and  are  united  in  the  base  of  the  ovary. 
The  six  stamens  are  attached  opposite  them,  but  free 
from  them.  The  ovary  has  three  styles  which  curve 
outward  from  the  center  and  which  remain  even 
after  the  seed  is  mature. 

Veratrum  wishes  winged  creatures  to  help  in  her 
fertilization.  It  covers  the  lower  part  of  the  flower 
stalk  and  sometimes  the  base  of  the  flowers  them- 
selves with  a  white  matted  wool,  in  which  any 
crawling  insects  would  soon  become  entangled.  Be- 
ing polyamous,  only  the  blossoms  in  which  there 
are  pistils — whether  a  perfect  or  a  pistillate  flower- 
form  capsules.  With  such  a  dense  florescence,  Vera- 


104  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

trum  has  hundreds  of  seed-cases.  As  she  holds  the 
dry  capsules  aloft,  the  wind  rushes  sibilantly 
through  them.  If  you  lie  still  near  a  clump  of  Vera- 
trum  in  September,  you  can  hear  all  sorts  of  conver- 
sations in  most  expressive  accents. 

It  is  said  that  the  leaves  and  root  of  Veratrum  are 
poisonous  to  stock.  Of  the  root,  I  have  no  knowl- 
edge; but  I  do  know  from  personal  observation 
during  many  summers  in  the  Sierras  that  cattle  eat 
the  leaves  and  flowers  and  show  no  evidence  of  ill- 
ness. Certain  insects  relish  the  chlorophyl,  the 
green  tissue,  of  the  leaves.  One  morning  you  will 
admire  a  magnificent  group  of  Veratrum,  glossy 
green  leaves  and  beautiful  creamy  spire.  The  next, 
the  leaves  will  be  blanched,  with  a  thin  tissue  over 
their  veins,  looking  a  skeleton  under  a  veil.  Who 
does  the  mischief?  I  do  not  know;  but  the  work  is 
swift  and  deadly. 

Because  of  the  similarity  in  the  green  base  leaves, 
some  people  mistake  Veratrum  for  Skunk  Cabbage; 
but  that  is  quite  a  different  plant,  with  yellow  flow- 
ers and  it  does  not  seek  the  Sierras.  The  name 
often  applied  to  Veratrum,  "False  Hellebore," 
always  makes  me  impatient.  I  have  never  under- 
stood why  any  plant  should  be  dubbed  "false." 
Even  if  it  resembles  some  older  species,  it  must 
have  enough  individuality  to  deserve  a  name  of  its 
very  own.  In  human  nomenclature,  we  may  call  the 


FLOWERS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDES    105 

son  William,  after  the  father,  but  we  do  not  label 
the  helpless  infant  "false,"  because  of  the  relation- 
ship. Now,  it  is  we  humans  who  bestow  the  name 
on  the  plant,  and  why  should  we,  even  if  we  recog- 
nize a  resemblance,  give  the  same  title  with  this 
ignominious  epithet  prefixed?  California  has  quite 
a  number  of  plants  so  ticketed — False  Alum-Root, 
False  Indigo,  False  Lupine,  False  Lady's  Slipper, 
False  Mallow,  False  Pimpernel,  False  Solomon's 
Seal.  Any  one  of  these  could  much  better  wear  an 
individual  title.  "False  Hellebore"  is  especially 
absurd.  In  ancient  times,  a  genus  of  the  Buttercup 
Family  was  named  "Hellebore,"  and  it  has  borne 
that  name  down  through  the  centuries,  and  is  still 
thriving  under  it.  A  familiar  example  of  it  is  the 
Christmas  Rose.  Some  time  in  the  past,  people 
began  calling  Veratrum,  which  is  a  true  lily,  with 
no  resemblance  to  the  Buttercup  Family,  "False 
Hellebore."  There  is  no  reason  given  for  this  title, 
but  I  suspect  it  is  because  of  the  medicinal  uses  of 
the  two  roots.  The  Veratrum  is  not  now  used  as 
commonly  as  it  was,  but  veratria  is  still  extracted 
from  it  and  used  as  an  external  application  in  obsti- 
nate cases  of  rheumatism  and  neuralgia.  Veratrum 
refers  to  the  roots,  "truly  black''  and  calif ornicum 
shows  that  it  is  a  native  of  our  State. 


106  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS. 

A  number  of  our  plants  seem  to  have  discarded 
the  idea  of  one  blossom  doing  all  the  work  of  seed- 
making.  They  have  advanced  to  the  stage  of  spe- 
cialization and  have  their  stamens  in  one  flower 
and  their  pistils  in  another.  Most  of  our  trees  do 
this.  Sometimes  the  stamens  and  the  pistils  are  on 
the  same  individual  plant,  as  in  the  Pine,  and  they 
are  termed  "monoecious,"  from  the  Greek,  "of  one 
household."  Sometimes  the  staminate  blossoms  are 
on  one  plant,  and  the  pistillate  on  another,  as  in  the 
Willow,  and  these  are  called  "dioecious,"  or  "in 
two  households." 

A  lovely  example  of  the  dioecious  is  the  Garrya 
elliptica,  commonly  called  the  Silk-Tassel  Tree. 
The  common  name  describes  the  flower  chains.  Lit- 
tle bracts,  silk-covered,  form  cups  in  which  are 
grouped  several  flowers.  There  are  no  corollas  on 
either  staminate  or  pistillate  form,  but  both  have 
calyxes.  There  are  four  stamens  in  each  little 
flower,  and  because  the  pollen  must  get  to  another 
tree  to  reach  the  waiting  stigmas,  a  great  quantity 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS      107 


GARRYA 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Soares 


108  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

is  produced.  You  will  notice  that  monoecious  and 
dioecious  plants  are  profligate  in  their  discharge  of 
pollen.  You  have  been  under  the  Willow's  golden 
shower  or  trod  in  the  sulphur  bank  under  the  Pine. 
As  they  must  depend  upon  the  agency  of  variant 
zephyrs,  they  must  be  prepared  to  waste  much  to 
accomplish  little. 

Garrya  is  called  after  an  official  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  who  observed  the  plant  in  the  North. 
The  city  of  Winnipeg,  in  Manitoba,  was  originally 
Fort  Garry  after  the  same  explorer  and  only 
assumed  its  present  title  in  1873.  Elliptica  comes 
from  the  shape  of  the  leaves.  A  sister  is  the  Garrya 
fremontii,  named  for  our  American  explorer,  and 
commonly  called  the  quinine-bush.  The  Forty- 
niners  used  a  tea  of  this  shrub  as  a  substitute  for 
quinine  in  fighting  the  malaria  of  the  early  mining 
districts. 

In  these  suggestions  for  observation  of  our  flora, 
we  have  been  considering  the  plant  in  its  individual 
development  only,  and  not  in  its  relations  with  the 
rest  of  the  world;  but  in  your  daily  life  you  have 
learned  that  nothing  in  the  world  exists  by  itself. 
As  trees  have  certain  habits  that  react  upon  the  wel- 
fare of  mankind,  it  is  well  that  we  pay  attention  to 
these.  Every  person,  whether  man  or  woman,  boy 
or  girl,  has  some  influence  on  his  associates;  and  the 
tree,  too,  though  never  having  the  unselfish  impulses 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS     109 

that  guide  the  higher  man,  is  a  power  in  its  own 
vicinity  and  always  an  influence  for  good. 

Just  consider  how  the  tree  helps  a  hill  in  rainy 
weather.  You  have  noticed  places  where  the  rain 
has  pelted  down  on  the  slope,  loosened  the  surface 
soil  and  carried  it  off  to  the  streams,  leaving  exposed 
the  rocky  skeleton  of  the  hillside.  You  remember 
that  this  tragedy  occurred  in  the  unprotected 
stretches  and  not  where  the  trees  stood  guard  over 
the^  ground.  You  have  seen  the  roots  of  some  up- 
turned tree,  and  know  how  many  little,  fine,  hairy 
ones  there  are.  The  duty  of  these  hairs  is  to  drink 
up  moisture  for  the  tree's  food;  but,  in  doing  this, 
they  hold  together  the  loose  particles  of  soil.  Just 
try  to  shake  the  soil  from  the  finer  roots,  and  you 
will  find  that  the  hairs  have  so  close  a  hold  on  the 
particles  that  they  break  off  with  them.  If  you 
have  observed  closely,  you  have  seen  that  the  little 
drinkers  occur  on  the  outside  of  the  spreading  root- 
lets, just  beneath  the  circumference  of  the  leafy 
branches.  If  you  will  study  how  the  roots  of  a 
small  plant  grow,  you  will  find  out  why  they  are  so 
distributed. 

Sometimes  you  have  sought  shelter  under  a  tree 
in  a  shower,  because  you  have  observed  that  the  tree 
has  a  habit  of  shedding  the  rain,  not  directly  under 
it,  but  at  its  circumference.  The  drip  falls  down 
to  the  waiting  little  mouths  of  the  outside  rootlets, 


110  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

and  is  carried  into  the  tree.  Some  of  it  dodges  in 
between  the  loose  soil  and  trickles  around  until  it 
finds  some  stream,  either  over  or  under  ground;  but 
it  never  tears  away,  tumultuously  carrying  off  soil, 
as  does  that  enthusiastic  raindrop  that  has  just  fallen 
direct  from  the  clouds. 

If  there  are  no  trees  to  hold  the  earth  together, 
and  to  keep  the  water  in  check,  a  heavy  rainfall  is 
likely  to  do  damage  in  two  ways.  First,  as  already 
mentioned,  by  washing  away  the  soil  before  it 
reaches  the  streams;  and,  second,  by  raising  the 
creeks  and  rivers  so  that  they  overflow  their  banks 
and  injure  the  lower  valleys.  In  the  countries 
around  the  Mediterranean,  they  have  been  cutting 
the  trees  off  their  mountains  for  many  generations. 
In  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  they  discovered 
that  the  destructive  floods  in  Southern  France,  Spain 
and  Italy  were  due  to  there  being  no  trees  left  at 
the  sources  of  the  rivers.  In  France,  they  began  to 
plant  new  forests,  and  in  fifteen  years  there  was  a 
marked  difference  in  the  frequency  and  the  de- 
structiveness  of  the  floods. 

Trees  prevent  floods  by  keeping  the  water  from 
flowing  off  on  the  surface,  and  by  turning  its  course 
so  that  it  seeks  subterranean  channels.  These  under- 
ground streams  usually  find  the  surface  later  in  the 
form  of  springs.  The  reason  the  scientists  of  Europe 
turned  their  attention  to  the  forest  problem  was  not 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS     111 

because  of  the  floods,  but  because  the  springs  of 
Spain,  France,  Italy  and  Turkey,  that  had  been  per- 
ennial for  ages,  were  drying  up,  and  the  people 
were  clamoring  for  their  water  supply.  The  differ- 
ent Governments  became  interested  in  the  subject, 
and  made  provision  for  studying  the  effects  of  for- 
ests on  climate  and  industries  in  their  countries. 
Now,  most  of  the  European  nations  have  forest 
academies  where  men  go  to  study  all  the  questions 
relating  to  forestry  and  to  man's  relation  to  it.  They 
have,  too,  certain  governmental  regulations  for  the 
cutting  of  trees,  so  that  no  slope  that  commands  the 
water  supply  of  a  region  shall  be  denuded.  Old 
trees  can  be  felled  only  when  young  ones  are  ready 
to  take  their  places.  This  pertains  to  private  owner- 
ship. Just  because  a  man  holds  deed  to  an  acreage 
gives  him  no  privilege  to  cut  trees  to  the  detriment 
of  the  public  good. 

In  the  United  States,  we  are  only  beginning  to 
consider  the  question.  Here  in  California  we  are 
slaughtering  the  trees  in  such  a  ruthless  way  that 
the  foresters  of  France,  Italy,  Sweden,  Germany 
and  Russia  all  hold  up  their  hands  in  horror  at  our 
ignorance.  In  our  Forest  Reserves,  there  are  rules 
for  scientific  lumbering  on  the  public  lands,  but  at 
present  there  is  no  law  to  limit  the  cutting  on  pri- 
vate holdings.  John  Smith  today  has  the  legal  right 
to  fell  every  standing  tree  on  his  possession,  no  mat- 


112  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

ter  if  he  devastate  a  mountain  side  and  rob  the 
future  generations  of  food.  His  moral  right  lies 
with  his  own  conscience.  California  has  so  small 
a  rainfall  that  we  need  to  be  more  careful  of  our 
forests  than  do  Oregon,  Washington,  or  our  Atlantic 
sisters. 

Trees  really  conduce  to  a  greater  rainfall.  Their 
millions  of  cool  leaves,  elevated  above  the  earth, 
form  a  condensing  influence  of  the  moisture  in  the 
air.  You  can  see  how  they  work  if  you  hold  a  cold 
cover  over  a  steaming  pot  and  turn  the  floating 
steam  into  drops  of  water.  The  trees  themselves 
send  out  some  moisture  into  the  atmosphere.  Have 
you  ever  breathed  on  a  looking-glass  and  seen  the 
moisture  that  came  from  your  lungs?  Well,  the 
leaves  of  a  tree  are  its  lungs,  and  these  billions  of 
lungs  are  breathing  out  moisture  all  the  time.  If 
you  wish  to  prove  it,  place  a  dry  glass  over  a  grow- 
ing plant,  or  take  a  leafy  twig  and  place  it  through 
a  card,  with  its  stem  in  a  glass  of  water,  and  its 
leaves  above  the  card  enclosed  by  a  dry  glass.  Put 
it  in  the  sunshine,  or  even  in  the  light,  and  see  what 
will  happen  in  an  hour's  time. 

This  habit  of  the  trees  keeps  the  atmosphere  near 
them  moderately  cool  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  How- 
ever, they  do  not  always  lower  the  temperature, 
for  at  night,  when  the  earth  is  giving  out  the  heat 
it  gained  from  the  sun  during  the  day,  the  tree  foli- 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS     113 

age  forms  a  good  blanket  and  shuts  some  of  the 
warmth  in  near  the  ground.  As  a  result,  a  forest 
region  is  never  so  hot  nor  so  cold  as  a  barren  district 
near  by.  This  is  noticeable  in  canyons  a  half  mile 
apart  in  the  Tahoe  Reserve.  The  valley  of  one 
stream  lately  denuded  of  its  timber  is  filled  at  night 
with  a  cold  fog  which  hangs  low  until  the  sun  is 
high  next  day.  An  adjacent  canyon,  with  its  pri- 
meval forest  untouched,  is  always  free  from  this 
chilly  dampness. 

When  the  ground  is  well  soaked  with  rain,  you 
know  that  the  part  which  gets  dry  and  hard  first  is 
that  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  not  that  shaded  by  the 
trees.  Have  you  noticed  that  each  leaf  on  the  tree 
is  so  arranged  as  to  secure  the  greatest  exposure  to 
the  sunshine?  This  endeavor  to  get  light  produces 
the  different  shaped  leaves  we  find  on  the  different 
kinds  of  plants.  The  result  is  that,  while  the  leaves 
do  not  interfere  much  with  each  other's  sunlight, 
they  do  make  greater  shade  over  the  ground.  This 
prevention  of  evaporation  and  the  consequent  stor- 
age of  moisture  in  the  soil  makes  it  possible  for 
many  delicate  plants  to  grow  under  trees  months 
after  their  sisters  who  chose  the  glade  have  perished. 
You  have  learned  this  from  observation.  In  sum- 
mer you  always  seek  ferns  in  woodsy  spots.  Have 
you  given  the  trees  a  thought  of  gratitude  for  their 
service? 


114  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

In  many  places,  it  would  not  be  possible  for 
smaller  plants  to  exist  if  the  hardier  trees  had  not 
for  centuries  been  inserting  their  roots  into  rocks, 
forcing  them  apart  so  that  by  wind  and  weather 
they  are  ground  into  particles.  Then,  the  leaves  off 
the  tree,  cast  aside  when  their  work  is  done,  mix 
with  these  particles,  and  finally  make  a  soil  in  which 
their  weaker  sisters  can  hold  a  footing.  In  this  way, 
our  Sierran  peaks  have  been  converted  from  bare, 
stony  masses  into  smiling  flower  beds. 

In  return  for  the  benefits  the  trees  confer  upon 
mankind,  we  treat  them  very  scurvily.  Lumbering 
is  their  greatest  enemy,  against  which  they  can  form 
no  defensive  habits.  To  lumbering,  under  scientific 
methods,  there  can  be  no  objection.  Civilization 
demands  buildings  and  furniture;  but  it  is  to  the 
deforesting  of  a  district  and  the  useless  destruction 
of  a  species  that  the  tree-lovers  are  opposed.  In 
general,  only  mature  trees  should  be  cut,  leaving 
enough  standing  not  to  interfere  with  the  water  sup- 
ply. In  the  cutting,  clear  room  should  be  left,  so 
that  the  young  trees  will  have  plenty  of  space  in 
which  to  tower.  When  it  comes  to  a  unique  species 
like  the  Sequoia  gigantea,  what  better  tribute  to  our 
own  sense  than  to  let  them  stand  unharmed  for 
future  generations  to  enjoy?  Their  wood  is  so  soft 
it  does  not  make  durable  lumber;  and,  as  grapevine 
supports  are  not  now  supposed  to  be  so  necessary, 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS     115 

it  may  be  that  the  Sequoia  remaining  will  have  a 
better  chance  for  life. 

The  waste  from  lumbering,  the  dead  limbs,  the 
bark,  etc.,  is  responsible  for  two  evils  to  trees.  By 
covering  the  fertile  earth,  it  prevents  young  trees 
from  growing  there;  and,  even  worse,  it  forms  a 
combustible  mass  to  encourage  a  spreading  fire. 
Forest  fires  are  second  only  to  lumbering  in  their 
enmity  to  trees.  A  cigarette  or  a  campfire  left  smol- 
dering is  sufficient  to  set  a  mountain  ablaze.  In  the 
high  Sierras,  where  the  soil  has  been  made  by  the 
Pines  and  the  Junipers  toiling  for  ages,  the  fire  will 
creep  along  the  underground  needles,  with  not  the 
slightest  evidence  on  the  surface.  Suddenly,  at  a 
distance,  it  will  burst  forth  with  a  vehemence  that 
will  destroy  a  whole  ancient  forest.  One  can  not 
be  too  careful  to  build  his  campfire  on  a  rocky 
foundation  and  to  be  sure  it  is  extinguished  before 
he  leaves.  Just  pouring  a  few  coffee-pots  of  water 
on  a  fire  built  on  Sierran  soil  will  not  kill  it,  as  it 
will  a  fire  on  Coast  ground.  The  deceitful  thing  is 
laughing  at  you  under  the  surface  and  creeping 
from  needle  to  needle.  The  United  States  Govern- 
ment has  a  heavy  fine  for  campers  who  do  not  put 
out  their  fires;  and  to  make  the  State  more  safe,  in 
1921,  the  Federal  Government  located  public  camps 
from  the  North  to  the  South,  through  our  chain  of 
Parks  and  Forest  Reserves,  where  fireplaces  are 


116  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

built  for  the  convenience  of  the  one  who  wishes  to 
live  outdoors.  There  is  no  longer  the  excuse  of 
ignorance  for  burning  up  40,000  acres  by  an  aban- 
doned campfire,  as  was  done  last  summer. 

Of  domestic  animals,  the  sheep  and  the  goat  are 
the  most  destructive  to  trees.  They  eat  the  young 
ones  closer  to  the  ground  than  do  cattle,  and  give 
them  less  chance  to  recuperate.  Then,  their  sharp 
hoofs  sink  in  the  soil  and  cut  them  to  pieces.  Be- 
cause of  the  necessity  to  increase  our  food  supply  in 
the  early  years  of  the  war,  sheep  were  permitted  in 
the  grazing  areas  in  the  Forest  Reserves  where  they 
never  before  had  been  allowed.  In  four  years,  they 
have  changed  the  flora  of  the  hillslopes.  No  plant 
has  a  chance  in  their  pasturage,  and  whole  species 
are  dying  out.  There  is  a  high  demand  in  the  mar- 
ket for  these  mountain-fed  lambs,  but  it  seems  to  me 
we  are  paying  too  high  a  price  for  the  delicacy 
with  the  extinction  of  some  of  our  rarest  flowers. 
Of  course,  with  no  verdure  on  the  slopes,  the  earth 
will  be  washed  away  soon,  and  only  bare  rocks 
remain,  and  then  there  will  be  no  pasturage  to  en- 
courage the  entrance  of  the  sheep  bands.  Then, 
bountiful  Nature  will  again  play  a  free  hand,  and 
by  toiling  for  years,  build  up  a  new  soil  and  again 
secure  plant  life.  Will  the  same  species  we  have 
been  enjoying  again  flourish  on  those  Sierran  slopes, 
or  will  their  places  be  usurped  by  those  hardier 


SOME  SPECIALIZING  FLOWERS     117 

immigrants    who    have    already    transported    their 
seeds  in  the  wool  of  the  sheep? 

If  every  child  in  every  American  school  was 
taught  to  memorize  and  recite  and  understand  Joyce 
Kilmer's  poem,  "Trees,"  perhaps  the  next  genera- 
tion would  be  wiser  than  we.  Perhaps,  then,  the 
forests  of  our  country  would  stand  as  eternal  monu- 
ments to  the  spirit  of  Joyce  Kilmer  and  those  other 
thousands  of  brave  Americans  who  lost  their  mortal 
lives  on  the  battlefields  of  France  that  the  soul  of 
humanity  might  be  forever  free.  Every  American 
who  cares  for  the  future  of  our  Nation  should  know 
this  poem.  I  quote  here  only  the  first,  third  and 
final  verses: 

"I  think  that  I  shall  never  see 
A  poem  lovely  as  a  tree. 

"A  tree  that  looks  at  God  all  day, 
And  lifts  her  leafy  arms  to  pray; 

"Poems  are  made  by  fools  like  me, 
But  only  God  can  make  a  tree." 

—Joyce  Kilmer,  1886. 


118  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SOME  PLANTS  WITH  HEALING  QUALITIES. 

If  there  be  one  life  more  than  another  that  ren- 
ders a  man  independent  of  a  physician,  it  is  camping 
out.  The  open  air,  the  simple  food,  the  recupera- 
tive slumber  restore  tired  nerves  and  stimulate  all 
parts  of  the  body  to  normal  activity.  Yet,  even  in 
these  ideal  conditions,  sickness  sometimes  intrudes, 
and  an  acquaintance  with  Nature's  remedies  may 
save  an  outing  trip  from  an  abrupt  ending.  Mother 
Earth  seems  to  have  intended  the  rovers  of  the 
Western  woods  to  be  their  own  doctors,  for  at  every 
hand,  whether  at  sea  sands  or  in  Sierran  stretches, 
she  offers  him  a  cure  for  every  ill. 

Many  people  who  camp  in  the  lower  altitudes  of 
California  have  their  vacation  spoiled  by  the  ubi- 
quitous poison-oak,  even  though  hitherto  they  had 
never  succumbed  to  its  attacks.  Now,  near  this 
same  insidious  poison,  wherever  it  grows  in  the 
State,  Nature  has  planted  an  antidote. 

The  best  is  Rhamnus  calif ornica,  known  as  "cof- 
fee-berry," "pigeon-berry,"  or  "yellow-root,"  in 
different  localities.  It  is  a  shrub  from  four  to 
eighteen  feet  high,  with  long  leathery  leaves  and 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  119 

small  greenish-white  flowers.  The  fruit  is  black 
and  globular,  and  contains  two  or  three  seeds  similar 
to  the  coffee  bean.  A  wash  made  by  steeping  leaves 
and  twigs  is  a  preventive  for  poison-oak  and  also  a 
cure.  If  the  poison  be  severe,  it  is  wise  to  take  a 
dose  of  the  tea  internally  at  the  same  time  one  is 
making  the  external  application.  The  virtues  of 
this  plant  were  well  known  to  the  Indians,  who 
pointed  them  out  to  the  Spanish  padres.  These 
found  it  so  efficacious  that  they  bestowed  on  it  the 
name  it  still  bears  in  commerce,  Cascara  sagrada, 
or  sacred  bark.  Rhamnus  is  the  ancient  Greek  name 
for  the  genus.  Another  species,  also  a  native  shrub, 
is  Rhamnus  purshiana,  named  for  a  Russian  botan- 
ist. The  genus  is  considered  one  of  the  most  valua- 
ble laxatives  known  in  the  medicinal  world  to-day, 
and  each  year  tons  of  the  bark  and  twigs  are  ex- 
ported from  the  State  to  the  pharmaceutical  labora- 
tories of  the  East. 

Two  other  California  plants  form  with  Rhamnus 
the  three  most  important  additions  to  the  world's 
pharmacopoeia  during  the  last  century.  These  are 
the  Yerba  Santa,  or  "Holy  Plant,"  and  the  Grin- 
delia,  both  known  to  the  Indians  from  time  imme- 
morial. Both  are  effective  in  colds,  or  in  any  trou- 
ble of  the  pulmonary  system,  and  both  may  save 
the  camper  much  anxiety.  Yerba  Santa  grows  on 
dry  hillsides  in  western  California,  and  reaches 


120  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


from  three  to  five  feet.  Its  leaves  are  long,  narrow, 
stiff,  leathery  and  sticky;  they  are  edged  with  rigid 
teeth,  and  are  covered  underneath  with  a  fine  wool, 
through  which  the  prominent  veins  protrude.  As 

if  all  these  precautions 
were  not  enough  to  repel 
animals,  Yerba  Santa 
makes  her  leaves  bitterly 
aromatic.  The  corollas 
are  funnel-shaped  and 
vary  in  color  from  white 
to  violet.  The  leaves  are 
said  to  be  a  good  substi- 
tute for  tobacco,  either 
for  smoking  or  for 
chewing.  For  exporting 
to  the  druggists,  the 
whole  plant  is  cut,  stalks 
and  all.  The  botanical 
name  of  Yerba  Santa  is 
Eriodictyon,  from  the  Greek,  referring  to  the  wool 
and  the  netted  veins  of  the  leaves.  The  species 
shown  here,  calif  ornicum,  is  not  so  wooly  as  its  sis- 
ters. 

The  Grindelia  is  sometimes  called  the  Gum 
Plant,  the  Resin  Weed,  or  the  August  Flower.  It 
grows  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  and  its  bright 
yellow  flowers,  which  appear  in  summer,  are  similar 


YERBA    S'ANTA 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  121 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Snares 
GRINDELIA 


122  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

to  those  of  the  Sunflower.  Its  floral  head  acts  just 
as  that  of  Seaside  Daisy  does  in  attracting  insects 
and  in  dispersing  its  seeds;  but  because  it  blooms  in 
the  open  in  the  hottest  season  of  the  year,  it  has  to 
take  precautions  of  which  Daisy  has  no  need.  If  its 
buds  were  left  exposed  to  the  full  glare  of  the  sun, 
they  would  be  burned  dry  before  they  could  open 
To  ward  against  this,  Grindelia  covers  each  bud 
with  a  thick  milky  gum.  In  this  gum  are  the  heal- 
ing qualities  which  have  won  Grindelia  such  esteem 
from  mankind.  Each  summer  about  five  or  six 
inches  of  the  top  twigs  are  cut  off  and  are  shipped 
by  tons  to  the  East.  Later  it  is  sent  back  to  us  in 
the  form  of  a  medicine  called  Grindelia,  which  is 
prescribed  to  soothe  whooping  cough,  bronchitis, 
asthma,  and  kindred  complaints.  It  is  also  efficient, 
taken  internally  and  applied  externally,  in  banish- 
ing poison-oak.  Grindelia  is  named  for  Hierony- 
mus  Grindel,  a  Russian  botanist,  who  was  a  pro- 
fessor at  both  Riga  and  Dorpat.  Robusta,  the 
species,  is  so  called  because  of  its  strength. 

Even  more  common  than  Coffee  Berry,  Yerba 
Santa,  or  Grindelia,  is  Manzanita.  It  is  a  great 
blessing  to  the  valley  dweller  who  ascends  to  higher 
altitudes.  Rarely  a  summer  passes  that  a  light 
scourge  of  dysentery  does  not  attack  Sierra  camps, 
chiefly  due  to  an  overindulgence  in  mountain  water. 
A  tea  of  Manzanita  will  cure  every  case.  Indeed, 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  123 


Photographed  by  A.  J.  Scares 
MANZANITA 


124  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

it  has  been  effective  when  a  physician's  medicines 
have  proved  powerless.  Manzanita  is  also  used  in 
compounding  medicines  to  cure  catarrh  of  the 
throat  and  stomach.  Manzanita  belongs  to  the 
beautiful  Heath  Family,  and  her  little  pink  and 
white  chimneys  are  well  planned  for  securing  aid 
in  her  seed-making.  Her  seeds  have  given  her  both 
the  common  and  the  scientific  names.  "Manzanita" 
is  the  Spanish  for  "little  apple/'  and  Arctostaphylos 
is  the  Greek  for  "bear  grapes,"  because  the  animals 
love  the  fruit.  This  species  is  called  nummularia 
because  its  leaves  are  shining  with  a  glitter  similar 
to  the  shine  of  a  coin. 

Another  of  our  medicinal  plants  that  still  bears 
its  Spanish  name  is  Yerba  Buena.  The  Indians  used 
tea  of  it  to  allay  fever  and  indigestion.  They  called 
it  to  the  notice  of  the  Franciscan  Fathers,  who,  rec- 
ognizing its  worth,  named  it  Yerba  Buena,  "the 
good  herb."  It  makes  a  palatable  beverage  by  pour- 
ing water  over  it  and  draining  at  once.  A  stronger 
decoction  is  needed  for  medicine.  Aside  from  its 
dainty,  graceful  lines  and  its  refreshing  fragrance, 
Yerba  Buena  is  interesting  to  observe  as  an  individ- 
ual. Notice  how  it  sends  down  new  roots  wherever 
its  stems  touch  the  ground.  Run  your  finger  along 
its  stem  and  feel  the  four  corners,  proving  its  mem- 
bership in  that  well-known  healing  tribe,  the  Mints. 
Yerba  Buena  is  Micromeria  Douglasii  in  botany, 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  125 

Micromeria  being  for  its  small  flowers.  Douglasii 
is  for  David  Douglas,  a  Scotch  botanist,  who  en- 
tered Washington  and  Oregon  in  1825,  and  reached 
California  in  1830.  He  remained  here  collecting 
until  1832,  gathering  over  five  hundred  species.  A 
few  years  after,  he  lost  his  life  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  now  Hawaii. 

Yerba  Buena  was  the  first  name  of  that  part  of 
San  Francisco  now  the  business  section.  The  Pre- 
sidio on  the  Golden  Gate  was  Presidio  de  San  Fran- 
cisco d'Asis;  the  Mission  in  the  warm  belt  was 
the  Mission  de  San  Francisco  d'Asis;  but  the  early 
settlement  in  the  cove  on  the  east  was  called  Yerba 
Buena  because  of  the  delicate  vine  covering  its 
slopes.  Yerba  Buena  it  remained  until  after  the 
American  Occupation.  Its  change  of  title  was  due 
to  an  inspiration  which  gave  a  vision  of  the  future 
of  our  city. 

The  first  American  Alcalde  of  San  Francisco, 
Lieutenant  Washington  A.  Bartlett,  heard  rumors 
that  Mariano  G.  Vallejo  and  Robert  Semple  had 
contracted  together  to  start  a  town  on  the  Straits  of 
Carquinez  which  would  be  a  rival  of  Yerba  Buena 
and  that  they  had  named  it  Francisca  after  General 
Vallejo's  wife.  Alcalde  Bartlett  realized  that  any 
town  on  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  bearing  the  name 
similar  to  it  would  attract  more  attention  from  the 


126  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

outside  world  than  would  one  whose  title  was  Yerba 
Buena.  When  Vallejo  and  Semple  brought  their 
contract  to  be  recorded,  as,  according  to  Spanish 
law,  a  contract  to  be  legal  had  to  be  recorded  in  the 
office  of  the  nearest  Alcalde,  Bartlett  informed  them 
that  he  had  just  issued  a  proclamation  on  January 
30,  1847,  changing  the  name  of  the  town  of  Yerba 
Buena  to  San  Francisco,  and  he  advised  them  to 
change  the  name  of  their  town  to  something  less 
confusing.  They  fussed  and  stormed.  Each  side 
drew  adherents.  Even  the  wise  Thomas  Larkin 
joined  his  friends  Vallejo  and  Semple,  and  declared 
that,  as  it  was  known  ahead  that  the  name  of  their 
town  was  to  be  Francisca,  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
legally  recorded  before  January  30  should  not  rob 
them  of  the  title.  The  editor  of  the  one  newspaper 
in  the  territory  refused  to  recognize  the  change,  and 
for  several  weeks  still  headed  his  sheet,  "Yerba 
Buena."  Under  Spanish  law,  and  it  still  reigned 
in  California  in  1847,  the  decree  of  the  Alcalde  was 
final.  So  our  city  gained  the  name  of  its  Bay  and 
of  the  Patron  Saint  whose  sons  had  introduced  civi- 
lization into  the  West,  and  Francisca,  the  dreamed- 
of  metropolis  on  the  Straits  of  Carquinez,  took  an- 
other name  from  the  baptismal  list  of  Senora  Val- 
lejo, and  has  come  down  to  us  today  as  the  town;  of 
Benicia.  But  Yerba  Buena  is  not  banished  from 
our  geographies.  It  still  is  the  legal  title  of  the 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS 


127 


island   east  of   San    Francisco   whereon   is   situated 
the  United  States  Naval  Training  Station. 

Another  member  of  the  Mint  Family  that  helps 
allay  physical  woes  and  that  is  named  for  a  noted 
botanist  is  our  Penny  Royal,  or  Monardella.  Its 
species  are  scattered  broadly  over  the  State.  One, 
the  odoratissima,  refreshes  many  a  hot  Sierran  trail 
with  its  aroma.  If  its  branches  be  hung  around 
one's  neck  and  under  the  hatband,  the  voracious 
mosquitoes,  which  linger  for  three  weeks  in  the 
locality  of  each  melted 
snowbank,  will  be  put 
to  flight.  A  weak  tea 
of  Penny  Royal  is  a 
good  substitute  for  the 
article  of  commerce, 
and  a  stronger  solution 
is  good  for  colic  or  as  a 
general  blood  purifier. 

Monardella  is  after 
Nicolas  Monardes,  a 
Spanish  botanist,  who 
was  born  in  1512,  and 
who  wrote  many  tracts 
on  the  medicinal  and 
other  useful  plants,  es- 
pecially those  of  the  New  World.  Living  just 
after  Columbus,  in  that  adventurous  era  when 


PENNY    ROYAL 


128  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

Spain  was  dazzling  Europe  with  the  results  of  her 
seeking  a  passage  to  the  Spice  Islands  by  crossing 
the  Atlantic,  Monardes  always  mentioned  what  we 
know  as  the  Western  Hemisphere  as  "The  Indies." 
He  was  the  first  scientist  to  write  descriptions  of 
these  newly  discovered  plants  of  the  Indies,  and  his 
works  created  much  interest  in  all  the  civilized 
countries.  By  1579,  they  had  been  translated  into 
Italian,  French  and  English,  in  the  order  men- 
tioned. The  horse  mints  were  first  named  in  his 
honor,  Monarda.  When,  later,  new  species  of 
Penny  Royal  were  found  in  America,  their  genus 
was  called  Monardella,  or  little  Monarda.  I  am 
particularly  glad  that  we  have  among  our  native 
plants  one  that  keeps  forever  green  the  name  of  the 
most  illustrious  botanist  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Lanceolata,  the  species  pictured,  is  named  for  its 
leaves.  It  grows  in  the  Coast  regions,  and  was  well 
known  by  the  Spanish  Californians  under  the  name 
of  Poleo,  which  is  Spanish  for  Penny  Royal.  Our 
English  common  name  does  not  mean  a  royal  rem- 
edy at  a  low  price,  as  imagination  might  lead  us  to 
believe;  but  it  is  derived  from  the  Latin  through 
the  French,  and  means  a  royal  remedy  against  fleas. 
This  virtue  in  the  herb  is  what  makes  the  mosqui- 
toes dislike  it  so. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  a  camper  suffering  any 
common  disease  to  want  a  remedy.  If  he  have 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  129 

colds,  Nature  offers  him,  in  addition  to  the  plants 
already  mentioned,  the  choice  of  a  tea  of  fragrant 
elderberry  blossoms;  a  decoction  of  horehound, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  only  an  immigrant  in  our 
State;  a  tincture  of  sunflower,  which  is  also  adopted 
as  an  official  drug  for  asthma,  throat  diseases  and 
influenza;  or  an  extract  of  wild  peony,  which  will 
also  allay  dyspepsia. 

If  he  be  the  victim  of  catarrh,  he  can  lie  on  a 
pillow  of  the  common  everlasting;  make  a  tea  from 
the  covering  of  the  root  of  the  mountain  birch;  or, 
if  he  be  south  of  Santa  Barbara,  use  a  snuff  of  dried 
wooly  blue  curls.  This  flower  was  called  romero, 
or  rosemary,  by  the  Spanish  Californians,  and  by 
that  name  it  is  used  in  formal  medicine.  Fried  in 
oil,  it  was  used  as  an  ointment  for  ulcers,  and  it  is  a 
valuable  liniment  for  all  muscular  troubles. 

If  he  succumbs  to  fever,  he  can  make  a  tea  of  the 
button  bush,  which  is  also  a  good  laxative,  a  tonic, 
and  a  cough  cure;  or  a  tea  of  the  blue-eyed  grass, 
which  will  sustain  a  patient  several  days  without 
other  food;  or  an  infusion  of  bedstraw,  whose  name 
was  earned  by  one  of  the  species  filling  the  Manger 
at  Bethlehem. 

If  he  suffers  from  rheumatism,  there  is  the  dog- 
bane, the  root  of  the  skunk  cabbage,  which  is  also 
made  into  a  salve  for  ringworm  and  white  swelling; 
the  white-veined  shin  leaf,  whose  name  is  borrowed 


130  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 


from  England,  where  the  peasants  use  a  species  for 
plasters  for  bruises  and  sores;  or  the  clematis. 

One  often  gets  cut  when  leading  the  open  life,  but 
there  need  be  no  fear  of  infection  if  Nature's  effi- 
cient antiseptic,  Clema- 
tis ligusticifolia,  is  at 
hand.  This  plant  has 
evolved  its  leaf  stems 
into  an  admirable  climb- 
ing apparatus,  by  means 
of  which  its  blossoms 
are  flung  out  over  bushes 
and  trees,  sometimes  up 
to  thirty  feet.  It  needs 
its  flowers  in  full  free 
air,  for  it  is  like  the 
Garryi,  with  staminate 
flowers  on  one  plant  and 
pistillate  on  another. 
Depending  largely  upon 
the  wind  to  carry  its  pollen,  it  does  not  pay  overdue 
attention  to  its  floral  envelope.  It  has  no  corolla  at 
all,  but  its  sepals  are  petalloid,  a  rich  cream  color. 
When  the  seeds  are  fertilized,  each  pistil  develops 
a  long  silky  tail,  which  is  really  more  conspicuous 
than  the  blossom.  These  tails  twist  together,  and 
the  soft  balls  sail  off  blithesomely  to  new  homes. 
The  Spanish  Californians  valued  this  plant,  call- 


CLEMATIS 


SOME  HEALING  PLANTS  131 

ing  it  "Yerba  de  Chibato"  Literally,  this  is  "the 
herb  of  the  young  kid,"  but  liberally  translated,  it 
becomes  "the  herb  of  the  shepherd  or  goatsherd," 
as  these  custodians  of  flocks  made  a  wash  of  it  with 
which  they  cleansed  and  cured  their  animals' 
wounds.  It  is  excellent  for  a  cut  from  barbed  wire. 
Clematis  is  from  the  Greek,  meaning  long,  lithe 
branches,"  and  ligusticifolia  is  practically  the  same 
from  the  Latin,  the  "leaves  tying  themselves  tight- 
ly." Another  species,  the  lasiantha,  has  larger 
flowers,  and  its  leaves  are  covered  with  a  soft  silk. 
After  dwelling  on  the  remedies  Nature  provides, 
it  may  be  as  well  to  mention  some  of  the  plants  one 
should  avoid  tasting.  The  two  daturas,  the  large- 
flowered  white  one  and  the  common  jimson  weed, 
are  both  poisonous.  Both  have  a  maddening  effect 
on  those  who  eat  them.  The  former  was  used  by 
the  Indians  to  stimulate  their  warriors  before  enter- 
ing battle,  and  it  was  fed  to  children  to  produce  a 
trance  in  which  they  could  predict  the  future.  The 
bulb  of  the  zygadene  has  earned  its  title  of  "death 
camaso";  the  larkspur  and  the  holly-leaved  cherry 
are  both  poisonous  to  sheep  and  cattle;  the  beautiful 
azalea  hides  death  in  flower,  leaves  and  root;  the 
white  nightshade  is  equally  vicious;  the  largest  flow- 
ered phacelia  poisons  many  persons  by  the  mere 
gathering;  the  monkshood,  or  aconite,  is  disastrous 
to  animals;  and  the  euphorbia  poisons  when  brought 


132  AS  CALIFORNIA  FLOWERS  GROW 

into  contact  with  wounds,  and  it  affects  the  eyes  if 
held  near  them. 

However,  the  helpful  plants  far  exceed  the  poi- 
sonous ones,  both  in  number  of  species  and  in  fre- 
quency of  individuals.  Having  acquired  the  habit 
of  observation,  the  camper  can  wander  to  the  utmosj 
wilds  of  the  State  feeling  as  secure  from  sickness  as 
if  accompanied  by  his  private  physician. 

While  the  habits  of  wild  plants  are  the  results 
of  centuries  of  adaptation  to  environment  and  are 
formed  quite  independent  of  any  human  influence, 
their  titles  and  their  transportations  and  their  uses 
are  interwoven  with  the  history  of  man.  If  you  dip 
into  the  study  of  our  native  flora,  you  are  piling  up 
great  pleasures  for  your  future.  You  not  only  gain 
new  physical  strength  in  following  them  to  their 
homes  and  new  mental  agility  in  observing  their 
variations;  but  through  the  names  of  even  the  com- 
monest species,  you  step  into  the  realms  of  mythol- 
ogy and  adventure  and  romance. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DAI 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  -ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


r>iAR    7    1937 


" 


18Aug'5?LO 


35- 


Kffr-1 


-K& 


i 


27Apr'5lLl 


tfr 


LD 


4,4^ 


. 

REC'D  i 


FFfi?  n' 


LD  21-100jn-7,'33 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


